Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsOverviewEarly LifeCareer and TheoriesContributionsInfluence on PsychologyJean Piaget QuotesFrequently Asked Questions
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Table of Contents
Overview
Early Life
Career and Theories
Contributions
Influence on Psychology
Jean Piaget Quotes
Frequently Asked Questions
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Jean Piagetwas a Swiss psychologist and genetic epistemologist. You may have heard of Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, for which he is famous. This theory looks athow children develop intellectuallythroughout the course of childhood.
At a GlanceJean Piaget helped shape our foundational knowledge of childhood cognitive development. His theories have influenced not just the field of developmental psychology, but also other fields, including sociology, education, and more.
At a Glance
Jean Piaget helped shape our foundational knowledge of childhood cognitive development. His theories have influenced not just the field of developmental psychology, but also other fields, including sociology, education, and more.
Overview of Piaget’s Life and Work
Prior to Piaget’s theory, children were often thought of simply as mini-adults.Instead, Piaget suggested that the way children think is fundamentally different from the way that adults think.
Piaget’s theory had a tremendous influence on the emergence ofdevelopmental psychologyas a distinctive subfield within psychology and contributed greatly to the field of education. He is also credited as a pioneer of theconstructivist theory, which suggests that people actively construct their knowledge of the world based on the interaction between their ideas and experiences.
In a 2002 survey of 1,725 American Psychological Society members, Piaget was named the secondmost influential psychologistof the 20th century.
Best Known ForTheory of cognitive developmentDeveloping the term “genetic epistemology” (the study of the origins of knowledge)
Best Known For
Theory of cognitive developmentDeveloping the term “genetic epistemology” (the study of the origins of knowledge)
Biography of Piaget’s Life
Jean Piaget was born in Switzerland on August 9, 1896, and began showing an interest in the natural sciences at a very early age.
Piaget continued to study the natural sciences and received his doctorate in zoology from the University of Neuchâtel in 1918. During this time, he published two essays that provided a foundation for his future thoughts and theories.
While his early career consisted of work in the natural sciences, during the 1920s he began to move toward work as a psychologist.
Personal Life
Piaget married Valentine Châtenay in 1923 and the couple went on to have three children. Piaget’s observations of his own children served as the basis for many of his later theories.
Later Years
In 1925, Piaget returned to the University of Neuchâtel as a professor of psychology, sociology, and philosophy. From 1929 to 1967, he served as the Director of the International Bureau of Education in Geneva. He also taught at the University of Geneva.
Piaget founded the International Center for Genetic Epistemology in 1955. He died in 1980 and was buried in Geneva.
Piaget Biographies
Piaget also wrote his autobiography for a chapter in “History of Psychology in Autobiography,” volume 4, published in 1952.
Piaget’s Career and Theories
Piaget had several ideas or theories about cognitive development throughout his career.
Intellectual Development
Roots of Knowledge
Piaget identified himself as a genetic epistemologist. In his paperGenetic Epistemology,Piaget explained, “What the genetic epistemology proposes is discovering the roots of the different varieties of knowledge, since its elementary forms, following to the next levels, including also the scientific knowledge.”
Epistemology is a branch of philosophy that is concerned with the origin, nature, extent, and limits of human knowledge. Piaget was interested not only in the nature of thought but also in how it develops and how genetics impact this process.
His early work with Binet’sintelligence testsled Piaget to conclude that children think differently than adults. While this is a widely accepted notion today, it was considered revolutionary at the time. It was this observation that inspired his interest in understanding how knowledge grows throughout childhood.
Schemas
Piaget suggested that children sort the knowledge they acquire through their experiences and interactions into groupings known asschemas. When new information is acquired, it can either beassimilatedinto existing schemas oraccommodatedthrough revising an existing schema or creating an entirely new category of information.
Stages of Cognitive Development
Today, Jean Piaget is best known for his research on children’s cognitive development. Piaget studied the intellectual development of his own three children and created a theory that described the stages that children pass through in the development of intelligence and formal thought processes.
The four stages of Piaget’s theory are as follows:
Additional ReadingFor further exploration of Piaget’s ideas, consider reading some of the source texts. The following are a few of Piaget’s best-known works.“Origins of Intelligence in the Child,” 1936"Play, Dreams and Imitation in Childhood," 1945"Main Trends in Psychology.“1970"Genetic Epistemology,” 1970"Memory and intelligence," 1973
Additional Reading
For further exploration of Piaget’s ideas, consider reading some of the source texts. The following are a few of Piaget’s best-known works.“Origins of Intelligence in the Child,” 1936"Play, Dreams and Imitation in Childhood," 1945"Main Trends in Psychology.“1970"Genetic Epistemology,” 1970"Memory and intelligence," 1973
For further exploration of Piaget’s ideas, consider reading some of the source texts. The following are a few of Piaget’s best-known works.
Piaget’s Contributions to Psychology
Piaget contributed to psychology in various ways. He provided support for the idea that children think differently than adults and his research identified several important milestones in the mental development of children. His work also generated interest in cognitive and developmental psychology.
Cognitive Developmental Milestones
Piaget’s Influence on Psychology
Piaget’s theories continue to be studied in the areas of psychology, sociology, education, and genetics. His work contributed to our understanding of the cognitive development of children. Piaget helped demonstrate that childhood is a unique and important period of human development.
In their 2005 text, “The Science of False Memory,” authors C.J. Brainerd and V.F. Reyna wrote of Piaget’s influence: “In the course of a long and hugely prolific career, he contributed important scholarly work to fields as diverse as the philosophy of science, linguistics, education, sociology, and evolutionary biology. Above all, however, he wasthedevelopmental psychologist of the 20th century.
For two decades, from the early 1960s to the early 1980s, Piagetian theory and Piaget’s research findings dominated developmental psychology worldwide, much as Freud’s ideas had dominated abnormal psychology a generation before. Almost single-handedly, he shifted the focus of developmental research away from its traditional concerns with social and emotional development and toward cognitive development.”
Influence on Psychologists
Piaget’s work influenced other notable psychologists includingHoward GardnerandRobert Sternberg.
Influence on Education
Piaget’s work continues to influence education. He advocated for the following principles, which are still often used in classrooms:
Here is a selection of some of Jean Piaget’s most famous quotes.
On Genetic Epistemology
“What the genetic epistemology proposes is discovering the roots of the different varieties of knowledge, since its elementary forms, following to the next levels, including also the scientific knowledge.”
“The fundamental hypothesis of genetic epistemology is that there is a parallelism between the progress made in the logical and rational organization of knowledge and the corresponding formative psychological processes. With that hypothesis, the most fruitful, most obvious field of study would be the reconstituting of human history—the history of human thinking in prehistoric man. Unfortunately, we are not very well informed in the psychology of primitive man, but there are children all around us, and it is in studying children that we have the best chance of studying the development of logical knowledge, physical knowledge, and so forth.”
On Cognitive Development
“Knowing reality means constructing systems of transformations that correspond, more or less adequately, to reality. They are more or less isomorphic to transformations of reality. The transformational structures of which knowledge consists are not copies of the transformations in reality; they are simply possible isomorphic models among which experience can enable us to choose. Knowledge, then, is a system of transformations that become progressively adequate.”
On Education
“Children have real understanding only of that which they invent themselves, and each time that we try to teach them something too quickly, we keep them from reinventing it themselves.”
On Intelligence
“Furthermore, intelligence itself does not consist of an isolated and sharply differentiated class of cognitive processes. It is not, properly speaking, one form of structuring among others; it is the form of equilibrium towards which all the structures arise out of perception, habit and elementary sensorimotor mechanisms tend.”
Frequently Asked QuestionsPiaget is known for his theory of cognitive development that first introduced the notion that children think differently than adults, which was a new way of thinking at the time. He is also known for creating the term “genetic epistemology,” which refers to the study of knowledge development.Children begin to develop language during the preoperational stage, according to Piaget’s theory. This is the second stage of development and begins when the child is around 2 years of age and lasts until they are roughly 7.Piaget defined egocentrism as a mindset that “vivifies the external world and materialises the internal world.“Put simply, it is having a greater focus on one’s own thoughts and feelings than on the thoughts and feelings of others.Piaget theorized that egocentrism developed between the stages of autistic thought (thought that is undirected and symbolic) and scientific thought (thought that is more logical and socialized)—which is roughly between the ages of 3 and 7.Piaget’s cognitive development theory changed the way we look at child development—namely, that children have different thought processes than adults. His contributions greatly influenced future developmental theories within the psychology field while also impacting other fields as well, such as education, sociology, and genetics.
Piaget is known for his theory of cognitive development that first introduced the notion that children think differently than adults, which was a new way of thinking at the time. He is also known for creating the term “genetic epistemology,” which refers to the study of knowledge development.
Children begin to develop language during the preoperational stage, according to Piaget’s theory. This is the second stage of development and begins when the child is around 2 years of age and lasts until they are roughly 7.
Piaget defined egocentrism as a mindset that “vivifies the external world and materialises the internal world.“Put simply, it is having a greater focus on one’s own thoughts and feelings than on the thoughts and feelings of others.Piaget theorized that egocentrism developed between the stages of autistic thought (thought that is undirected and symbolic) and scientific thought (thought that is more logical and socialized)—which is roughly between the ages of 3 and 7.
Piaget defined egocentrism as a mindset that “vivifies the external world and materialises the internal world.“Put simply, it is having a greater focus on one’s own thoughts and feelings than on the thoughts and feelings of others.
Piaget theorized that egocentrism developed between the stages of autistic thought (thought that is undirected and symbolic) and scientific thought (thought that is more logical and socialized)—which is roughly between the ages of 3 and 7.
Piaget’s cognitive development theory changed the way we look at child development—namely, that children have different thought processes than adults. His contributions greatly influenced future developmental theories within the psychology field while also impacting other fields as well, such as education, sociology, and genetics.
12 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Larcher V.Children are not small adults: Significance of biological and cognitive development in medical practice.Handbook Philos Med.2015. doi:10.1007/978-94-017-8706-2_16-1University of Kentucky.Study ranks the top 20th century psychologists.Piaget J.Genetic epistemology.Am Behav Sci. 1970;13(3):459-480. doi:10.1177/000276427001300320APA Dictionary of Psychology.Piagetian theory. American Psychological Association.Valsiner J, Molenaar PCM, Lyra MCDP, Chaudhary N, eds.Dynamic Process Methodology in the Social and Developmental Sciences. Springer New York.Brainerd CJ, Reyna VF.The Science of False Memory. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195154054.001.0001Shearer B.Multiple intelligences in teaching and education: Lessons learned from neuroscience.J Intell. 2018;6(3):38. doi:10.3390/jintelligence6030038Sternberg RJ.Intelligence.Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2012;14(1):19-27. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2012.14.1/rsternbergR, Madanagopal D.Piaget’s theory and stages of cognitive development- An overview.SJAMS.2020;8(9):2152-2157. doi:10.36347/sjams.2020.v08i09.034Peterson, Thomas.Epistemology and the Predicates of Education: Building Upon a Process Theory of Learning. United Kingdom, Taylor & Francis, 2019.APA Dictionary of Psychology.Genetic epistemology. American Psychological Association.Kesselring T, Muller U.The concept of egocentrism in the context of Piaget’s theory.New Ideas Psychol. 2011;29(3):327-45. doi:10.1016/j.newideapsych.2010.03.008Additional ReadingJean Piaget Society.About Jean Piaget.
12 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Larcher V.Children are not small adults: Significance of biological and cognitive development in medical practice.Handbook Philos Med.2015. doi:10.1007/978-94-017-8706-2_16-1University of Kentucky.Study ranks the top 20th century psychologists.Piaget J.Genetic epistemology.Am Behav Sci. 1970;13(3):459-480. doi:10.1177/000276427001300320APA Dictionary of Psychology.Piagetian theory. American Psychological Association.Valsiner J, Molenaar PCM, Lyra MCDP, Chaudhary N, eds.Dynamic Process Methodology in the Social and Developmental Sciences. Springer New York.Brainerd CJ, Reyna VF.The Science of False Memory. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195154054.001.0001Shearer B.Multiple intelligences in teaching and education: Lessons learned from neuroscience.J Intell. 2018;6(3):38. doi:10.3390/jintelligence6030038Sternberg RJ.Intelligence.Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2012;14(1):19-27. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2012.14.1/rsternbergR, Madanagopal D.Piaget’s theory and stages of cognitive development- An overview.SJAMS.2020;8(9):2152-2157. doi:10.36347/sjams.2020.v08i09.034Peterson, Thomas.Epistemology and the Predicates of Education: Building Upon a Process Theory of Learning. United Kingdom, Taylor & Francis, 2019.APA Dictionary of Psychology.Genetic epistemology. American Psychological Association.Kesselring T, Muller U.The concept of egocentrism in the context of Piaget’s theory.New Ideas Psychol. 2011;29(3):327-45. doi:10.1016/j.newideapsych.2010.03.008Additional ReadingJean Piaget Society.About Jean Piaget.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Larcher V.Children are not small adults: Significance of biological and cognitive development in medical practice.Handbook Philos Med.2015. doi:10.1007/978-94-017-8706-2_16-1University of Kentucky.Study ranks the top 20th century psychologists.Piaget J.Genetic epistemology.Am Behav Sci. 1970;13(3):459-480. doi:10.1177/000276427001300320APA Dictionary of Psychology.Piagetian theory. American Psychological Association.Valsiner J, Molenaar PCM, Lyra MCDP, Chaudhary N, eds.Dynamic Process Methodology in the Social and Developmental Sciences. Springer New York.Brainerd CJ, Reyna VF.The Science of False Memory. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195154054.001.0001Shearer B.Multiple intelligences in teaching and education: Lessons learned from neuroscience.J Intell. 2018;6(3):38. doi:10.3390/jintelligence6030038Sternberg RJ.Intelligence.Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2012;14(1):19-27. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2012.14.1/rsternbergR, Madanagopal D.Piaget’s theory and stages of cognitive development- An overview.SJAMS.2020;8(9):2152-2157. doi:10.36347/sjams.2020.v08i09.034Peterson, Thomas.Epistemology and the Predicates of Education: Building Upon a Process Theory of Learning. United Kingdom, Taylor & Francis, 2019.APA Dictionary of Psychology.Genetic epistemology. American Psychological Association.Kesselring T, Muller U.The concept of egocentrism in the context of Piaget’s theory.New Ideas Psychol. 2011;29(3):327-45. doi:10.1016/j.newideapsych.2010.03.008
Larcher V.Children are not small adults: Significance of biological and cognitive development in medical practice.Handbook Philos Med.2015. doi:10.1007/978-94-017-8706-2_16-1
University of Kentucky.Study ranks the top 20th century psychologists.
Piaget J.Genetic epistemology.Am Behav Sci. 1970;13(3):459-480. doi:10.1177/000276427001300320
APA Dictionary of Psychology.Piagetian theory. American Psychological Association.
Valsiner J, Molenaar PCM, Lyra MCDP, Chaudhary N, eds.Dynamic Process Methodology in the Social and Developmental Sciences. Springer New York.
Brainerd CJ, Reyna VF.The Science of False Memory. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195154054.001.0001
Shearer B.Multiple intelligences in teaching and education: Lessons learned from neuroscience.J Intell. 2018;6(3):38. doi:10.3390/jintelligence6030038
Sternberg RJ.Intelligence.Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2012;14(1):19-27. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2012.14.1/rsternberg
R, Madanagopal D.Piaget’s theory and stages of cognitive development- An overview.SJAMS.2020;8(9):2152-2157. doi:10.36347/sjams.2020.v08i09.034
Peterson, Thomas.Epistemology and the Predicates of Education: Building Upon a Process Theory of Learning. United Kingdom, Taylor & Francis, 2019.
APA Dictionary of Psychology.Genetic epistemology. American Psychological Association.
Kesselring T, Muller U.The concept of egocentrism in the context of Piaget’s theory.New Ideas Psychol. 2011;29(3):327-45. doi:10.1016/j.newideapsych.2010.03.008
Jean Piaget Society.About Jean Piaget.
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