 Cognition refers to thinking and memory processes, and cognitive development refers to

long-term changes in these processes. (One of the most widely known perspectives
about cognitive development is the cognitive stage theory of a Swiss psychologist
named Jean Piaget)
 Piaget created and studied an account of how children and youth gradually become able
to think logically and scientifically. (Have you ever experienced the following? You’re
trying to explain something to a child, and even though it seems so obvious to you, the
child just doesn’t seem to understand. They repeat the same mistake, over and over,
and you become increasingly frustrated. Their cognitive development limits their ability
to understand certain concepts. Specifically, they’re not capable right now of
understanding what you’re trying to explain.)
Piaget was born in Switzerland in the late 1800s and was a precocious student, publishing his
first scientific paper when he was just 11 years old. The Theory of Cognitive Development by
Jean Piaget, the Swiss psychologist, suggests that children's intelligence undergoes changes as
they grow. Cognitive development in children is not only related to acquiring knowledge,
children need to build or develop a mental model of their surrounding world (Miller, 2011). His
work is regarded as the cornerstone in the field of developmental psychology.

- Piaget’s contribution to psychology was mainly through his observations of children’s

cognitive development (Papalia & Feldman, 2011). Piaget’s contribution to psychology
was mainly through his observations of children’s cognitive development (Papalia &
Feldman, 2011). Early in his career, Piaget scored the IQ tests that Alfred Binet
administered to children. Piaget noticed that children of certain ages tended to give the
same types of incorrect answers. From these observations and follow-up interviews with
children about these mistakes, he developed a theory of how children’s cognitive
processes developed (Waite-Stupiansky, 2017). One of the most important implications
of his work is that children are not born with the same cognitive processes as adults
(Papalia & Feldman, 2011). Instead, children’s cognitive processes:

 develop over time,

 develop in response to their environment, and
 are updated with exposure to new information.

- Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development suggests that children move through four
different stages of learning. His theory focuses not only on understanding how children
acquire knowledge, but also on understanding the nature of intelligence. 1 Piaget's
stages are:

 Sensorimotor stage: Birth to 2 years

 Preoperational stage: Ages 2 to 7
 Concrete operational stage: Ages 7 to 11
 Formal operational stage: Ages 12 and up
Piaget believed that children take an active role in the learning process, acting much like little
scientists as they perform experiments, make observations, and learn about the world. As kids
interact with the world around them, they continually add new knowledge, build upon existing
knowledge, and adapt previously held ideas to accommodate new information.