Jean Piaget

Jean Piaget (August 9, 1896 – September 16, 1980) was a Swiss psychologist known for his work on child development. Piaget's theory of cognitive development and epistemological view are together called "genetic epistemology".

Piaget placed great importance on the education of children. As the Director of the International Bureau of Education, he declared in 1934 that "only education is capable of saving our societies from possible collapse, whether violent, or gradual." Piaget's views are central to the field of developmental psychology and continue to be influential and of practical use in fields such as education, sociology, and child development.

Early life

Piaget was born in 1896 in Neuchâtel, in the Francophone region of Switzerland. He was the oldest son of Arthur Piaget, a professor of medieval literature at the University of Neuchâtel, and Rebecca Jackson. Piaget was a precocious child who developed an interest in biology and the natural world.

Career

Piaget spent many years of his life researching the cognitive development and early learning habits of children. He developed his cognitive theory by actually observing children (some of them his own kids) and not just through the results of psychometric tests. He noted that children not only know less than adults but also think differently.

Piaget's theory

Piaget's theory of cognitive development is a comprehensive theory about the nature and development of human intelligence. It was first created by the Swiss developmental psychologist Jean Piaget (1896–1980). The theory deals with the nature of knowledge itself and how humans gradually come to acquire, construct, and use it.

Legacy

Piaget's ideas have maintained a strong influence in the world of education throughout the 20th and into the 21st century. His work has been the basis for educational approaches that emphasize hands-on, experiential learning and the importance of understanding students' developmental stages.

See also

• Cognitive development
• Developmental psychology
• Epistemology
• Genetic epistemology

References

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External links

• Jean Piaget Society
• About Piaget

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  Jean Piaget in Ann Arbor
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  Jean Piaget
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  Professor Piaget and Queen Juliana during the meeting
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  Jean Piaget and Pierre Bovet, 1925
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  Piaget first edition copyright page