JEAN PIAGET AND HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

The most influential psychologist and their contributions to

psychology:

The Role of Jean Piaget in the success of developmental

psychology
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2

Abstract

Jean Piaget was a renowned Swiss psychologist who was the pioneer of "genetic epistemology"

who made a systematic study of the “procurement of understanding in children”. Many consider him to

be the most influential figure in twentieth-century developmental psychology. He was a professor at the

University of Neuchâtel (1925–29) and the University of Geneva (1929–71; emeritus 1971–80) and

functioned as director of studies at the Jean-Jacques Rousseau Institute in Geneva (1921–25; co-director

after 1933). (Voyat) Jean Piaget was a trailblazer of child development research. He primarily worked on

sensorimotor development and self-awareness; representational thought, including language and the

development of elementary analytical capacities. A 2002 survey of 1,725 American Psychological Society

members, Piaget was named the second most influential psychologist of the 20th century” research

unravels that he mainly succeeded because of two factors one being his passion for learning and second

his open-mindedness towards controversial issues.

Contributions to the field of psychology: As a psychologist

Piaget (1936) was one of the first psychologists to make a systematic study of cognitive

development. His contributions include a stage theory of child cognitive development, detailed

Observational studies of cognition in children, and a series of simple but ingenious tests to reveal

different cognitive abilities. His ideas have been of practical use in understanding and communicating

with children, particularly in the field of education In the 1920s, Piaget worked at the Binet Institute,

where he created IQ tests. He got fascinated by the reasons pupils presented for giving incorrect

responses to logical thinking tasks.

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He claimed that the erroneous responses demonstrated significant disparities in adult and child thinking.

Piaget observed his infants and developed a new set of assumptions regarding children's intelligence.

The intellect of children differs from that of adults in terms of quality rather than quantity. Piaget

researched children from infancy through adolescence via naturalistic and controlled observation of his

own three infants. He conducted clinical interviews and observed older youngsters who could grasp

inquiries and hold discussions. His theories led to the Conceptions of childhood evolve continuously

untill children could no longer be regarded as small adults.

Contributions to the field of psychology: As a person

His reticence to acknowledge any subject as entirely resolved exhibited his conviction to acquire

knowledge. He rewrote and reassessed his 1927 book to make changes in accordance with his

"attributions of mental operations". The worldwide bureau of education was a realistic example of

conceptual brilliance. Piaget's theories were not restricted to psychology; his life featured provocative

topics spanning from religion to perceptual mechanisms. He was dedicated deeply to his epistemological

questions. These are the characteristics that not only helped him establish his career as an empiricist,

constructivist, and preaching professor, but also aided him become a decent psychologist who earned

an honorary degree from Harvard in 1936 and became a prominent figure in the field of developmental

psychology

Influence in ancient times

The Darwinian paradigm was used to view children in the nineteenth century, proposing that

infants acquired inclinations to mimic, exercise will, symbolize, reason, and sympathize with others. It
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was driven by the assumption that a child developed in an objective world and failed to acknowledge

that children needed experience and models to imitate.

After World War I, behaviorism dominated American psychology, claiming that every propensity

and aptitude had to be learnt through reward and punishment or acquired through contingent

reinforcement. It did not, however, fit intuition or explain a large amount of evidence accumulated by

child psychologists. The development of developmental psychology and Piagetian ideas addressed the

complexities of Darwinian theory and secularism. It did not contradict existing ideas, but instead

supported them by providing a theoretical perspective that balanced experience with maturation,

remained potentially verifiable, and made adaptability to the environment a criteria of child

development.

In 1950s the audience turned towards Piaget. Piaget assumed that the intellectual growth

consisted of a connected series of structures from birth to adulthood. He added rugged facts to child

psychology. We should expect tension that is not solely a product of emerging sexuality. (Kagan, n.d.)

The conception of the teen psychological stage suggested by Piagetian theory complemented Freudian

view.

Influence in modern psychology:

Piaget's instructional methods and new science curriculum supplanted the trend of rote

memorization by establishing the concepts of critical thinking and critical analysis, which are now central

to modern psychology. His study has helped professional therapists better understand and assist

children as they progress through the various phases. (Dean)

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Piaget had a significant effect on educational policy and instructional practise. For example,

Piaget's theory affected the UK government's examination of basic education in 1966. As a result of this

review, the Plowden report was issued (1967). 1

Limitations:

Piaget focused on the universal phases of cognitive development and biological maturation, he

overlooked the impact of social environment and culture on cognitive development. Cross-cultural

studies reveal that the phases of development and cognitive growth are the result of a biological

maturation process. The age at which the phases are attained, differs between cultures and individuals,

implying that social and cultural influences, as well as individual characteristics, impact cognitive

development. Piaget's approaches (observation and clinical interviews) are more susceptible to

prejudice than other methods. Piaget conducted thorough, comprehensive naturalistic observations of

youngsters and created journal accounts of their development based on his children. (McLeod)

Since Piaget performed the observations alone, the information gathered is dependent on his

own subjective interpretation of occurrences. Piaget's observations would have been more credible if he

had collaborated with another researcher and compared the results.

Conclusion

Jean Piaget and the psychological theories he developed altered people's perceptions of

children. Instead of viewing children as young adults, scientists believe that they go through distinct

developmental phases and think differently than adults. His work is still important in early childhood

education and child psychology. Piaget felt that intellectual growth occurs throughout life, but that the
1
(The Plowden Report is the unofficial name for the 1967 report of the Central Advisory Council For Education into
Primary education in England. The report, entitled Children and their Primary Schools, reviewed primary education
in a wholesale fashion. The collation of the report took around 3 years.)
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last stage of cognitive development is the formal operational stage. Children are not small adults who

can be treated as though they were, and neither are they uniformly vulnerable beings who need

protection; rather they are individuals in transition whose growth into adulthood should be supported,

encouraged, and facilitated. (Larcher) His contributions greatly influenced future developmental

theories within the psychology field while also impacting other fields as well, such as education,

sociology, and genetics. (Cherry)

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References

Dean, M. E. (2022, April 1). Who Was Jean Piaget? Psychology And The Impact Of Cognitive

Theory | BetterHelp. Impact of Cognitive Theory.

https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/psychologists/who-was-jean-piaget-psychology-and-

the-impact-of-cognitive-theory/

Larcher, V. (2015). Children Are Not Small Adults: Significance of Biological and Cognitiv.

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Marbach, E. (1981). Jean Piaget (1896–1980). Zeitschrift Für Allgemeine Wissenschaftstheorie,

12(1), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01811302

Mcleod, S. (2020, December 7). Jean Piaget’s Theory and Stages of Cognitive Development.

Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html