Jean Piaget and His Studies on Cognitive Development and Contributions to the Field of Psychology

Abstract

This paper explores the life, accomplishments, and psychological contributions of Jean Piaget and how his findings impacted the field of psychology. It also dives into the criticisms he faced for his findings. Piaget was born as the son of a historian but decided to study abnormal psychology after being introduced to the concept of psychoanalysis. Piaget went on to study children and cognitive growth at different stages of childhood. He developed four stages of mental growth and explored what children can do during each stage. Piaget studied other concepts, such as object permanence and conservation of quantity, and explored the level of understanding of these concepts during each stage. This paper dissects many of the topics Piaget studied and analyzes criticisms against his work, raising the question of how he could have studied these topics better. It also emphasizes how Jean Piaget revolutionized the field of psychology through his discoveries and contributions relating to children and how they learn, demonstrating how Piaget’s theories can even be used during the 21st century to understand cognitive growth among children.