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- The influence of Piaget’s ideas in developmental psychology has been enormous. ...
- Piaget (1936) was one of the first psychologists to make a systematic study of cognitive development. ...
- His ideas have been of practical use in understanding and communicating with children, particularly in the field of education (re: Discovery Learning).
Which theory is better Piaget or Vygotsky?
Why is Vygotsky better than Piaget? While Piaget’s theories were waning in importance, those of Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky began to receive more attention. Whereas Piaget asserted that all children pass through a number of universal stages of cognitive development, Vygotsky believed that cognitive development varied across cultures.
What are the key features of Piaget's theory?
Piaget's Theory Of Cognitive Development Summary
- The child responds purely through action. No language or thought is required
- The child reflects upon their own thought processes through langage and uses strategies such as talking themselves through a problem.
- Understanding is reached through social settings ie. Parents, Teachers, Peers,
What are the main points of Piaget theory?
The Concrete Operational Stage
- During this stage, children begin to thinking logically about concrete events
- They begin to understand the concept of conservation; that the amount of liquid in a short, wide cup is equal to that in a tall, skinny glass, for example
- Their thinking becomes more logical and organized, but still very concrete
What are the strengths of Jean piagets theory?
Strengths of Piaget's Learning Theory. Piaget's work continues to influence psychology and education today. Despite some criticism, Piaget is recognized for a number of strengths in his learning theories. Firstly, his ideas are practical when communicating with children, making them helpful for parents, teachers, and other primary caregivers.

Why is Piaget's theory important?
In addition, Piaget's theory has been used to argue that children learn best when they have to work collaboratively so that they can learn from each other as they go through the experience of disequilibrium and try to make meaning together. For me as a practitioner, Piaget's theory is so essential in many aspects.
How did Piaget's constructivist approach influence the educational policy of many countries?
Piaget's constructivist approach is of great benefit to teachers, and has indeed influenced the educational policy of many countries, most clearly the UK, through its focus on student centred discovery and emphasising the process of learning rather than simply the end product.
Why is Piaget's work important?
The construction of identity and knowledge as one predicated upon the development of stages helps to explain the intellectual growth of children of all ages. Piaget's ideas have helped to construct the notion of learning as not something linear and depository, but rather as an element that must be understood in accordance to the cognitive stage of the child. it is through this that Piaget's work becomes invaluable to educators and those who work with children for it allows one to understand why children learn at the rate they do. This is essential for those who work with children as it helps to explain some of the most fundamental issues behind why children learn and how to proceed with instruction of children.
What was Piaget's main source of inspiration for his theory?
1. Research Methods. A major source of inspiration for the theory was Piaget's observations of his own three children. In addition to this, the other children in Piaget's small research sample were all from well-educated professionals of high socioeconomic status.
What is Piaget's argument about formal operations?
Formal Operations. Research has disputed Piaget's argument that all children will automatically move to the next stage of development as they mature. Some data suggests that environmental factors may play a role in the development of formal operations. 3.
What was Piaget's focus on?
Support for the Theory. Piaget's focus on qualitative development had an important impact on education. While Piaget did not specifically apply his theory in this way, many educational programs are now built upon the belief that children should be taught at the level for which they are developmentally prepared. 1 .
How did Piaget's theory impact children?
In spite of the criticism, the theory has had a considerable impact on our understanding of child development. Piaget's observation that kids actually think differently than adults helped usher in a new era of research on the mental development of children.
How old are children when they have their own mental abilities?
Most researchers agree that children possess many of the abilities at an earlier age than Piaget suspected. Theory of mind research has found that 4- and 5-year-old children have a rather sophisticated understanding of their own mental processes as well as those of other people.
What is Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development?
Jean Piaget 's theory of cognitive development is well-known within the fields of psychology and education , but it has also been the subject of considerable criticism. While presented in a series of discrete, progressive stages, even Piaget believed that development does not always follow such a smooth and predictable path.
Why is the stage approach problematic?
Stage theories have fallen out of popularity in modern-day psychology for a number of reasons. One of these is that they often fail to accurately capture the many individual variations that exist in development.
What is Piaget's clinical method?
While his research methods were imperfect, his work did pioneer the development of what is now known as the clinical method. This approach involves conducting intensive interviews with subjects about their own thought processes. Piaget's theory also helped change the way that researchers thought about children.
What is Piaget's influence on the world?
While there are few strict Piagetians around today, most people can appreciate Piaget's influence and legacy. His work generated interest in child development and had an enormous impact on the future of education and developmental psychology .

Criticisms
Impact
- In spite of the criticism, the theory has had a considerable impact on our understanding of child development. Piaget's focus on qualitative development had an important impact on education. While Piaget did not specifically apply his theory in this way, many educational programs are now built upon the belief that children should be taught at the l...
Future
- Research has disputed Piaget's argument that all children will automatically move to the next stage of development as they mature. Some data suggest that environmental factors may play a role in the development of formal operations.
Effects
- The theory seems to suggest that reaching the formal operational stage is the end goal of development, yet it is not clear if all people actually fully achieve the developmental tasks that are the hallmark of formal operations. Even as adults, people may struggle to think abstractly about situations, falling back on more concrete operational ways of thinking.
Powers and abilities
- Most researchers agree that children possess many of the abilities at an earlier age than Piaget suspected. Theory of mind research has found that 4- and 5-year-old children have a rather sophisticated understanding of their own mental processes as well as those of other people.
Legacy
- While there are few strict Piagetians around today, most people can appreciate Piaget's influence and legacy. His work generated interest in child development and had an enormous impact on the future of education and developmental psychology.
Influence
- Piaget's theory also helped change the way that researchers thought about children. Rather than simply viewing them as smaller versions of adults, experts began to recognize that the way children think is fundamentally different from the way that adults think.