Piaget's theory of cognitive development
- Piaget’s theory of cognitive development (1920s-1980s) is based on the idea that children’s thinking and reasoning are qualitatively different to that of an adult
- Piaget was interested in studying child development in terms of how a child’s thinking progresses according to their age i.e. it is a maturational theory
- Piaget (who originally trained as a zoologist) observed the ways in which his children played at home as well as observing childrens’ games on the streets of his home town in Switzerland
- Piaget was working at the Binet Institute (a centre in which childrens’ intelligence was tested) when he became interested in the errors children made, rather than their correct answers
- Piaget believed that children are continuously exploring their environment, almost performing experiments to test what they discover every day (hence, discovery learning): he suggested that children are ‘little scientists’
- Piaget’s theory of cognitive development is an example of constructivism i.e. children learn via action and reflection; they then build on these learning blocks to construct schemas which in turn help them to negotiate their world
- Piaget argued that children develop cognitions according to genetic epistemology i.e. this drive to explore and learn is innate and runs according to a nature-derived ‘timetable’
Children are hard-wired to explore their environment, according to Piaget.
Exam Tip
It is important to show that you understand that Piaget’s theory is essentially on the ‘nature’ side of the nature/nurture debate (e.g. children are born with a need to explore their environment) but that it also acknowledges that children use their experience to construct meaning, which highlights some awareness of environmental influence as a key factor in their cognitive development.