Jean Piaget

Jean Piaget (1896-1980)

Background
Jean Paiget was born on August 9 in Neuchatel Switzerland. He was a very talented scholar and had his first scientific paper published at age 10. Piaget received his doctorate of Biology at the age of 22. Jean was employed at the Binet Institute, where his job was to develop French versions of questions on English intelligence tests. He had 2 girls and 1 boy and used each of his children to investigate the development of though processes. Piaget died on September 16.

Theory
Piaget thought that children where born with a very basic mental structure on which all subsequent learning and knowledge is based. The goal of his theory was to explain the mechanisms and processes by which the infant or young child develops into an individual who can reason and think using hypothesis.
 * Sensorimotor (birth to 18-24 months) : infants are aware only of their sensations, fascinated by all the strange new experiences their bodies are having. They are like little scientists exploring the world by shouting at, listening to, hitting and tasting everything.


 * Pre-operational (18-24 months to 7 years) : during this stage children can process images, words and concepts but they can’t do anything with them, they can’t yet operate on them. It’s like they’ve acquired the tools of thought, but don’t yet know how to use them. E.g. in maths they can’t understand that 2 x 3 is the same as 3 x 2.


 * Concrete operations (7 to 12 years) : at this stage children gain the ability to manipulate symbols and objects, but only if they are concrete – abstract operations are still a challenge.
 * Formal operations (12 and up): children are able to theink in abstract terms about the world. Now they can understand concepts such as the future, values and justice. From around this age children start thinking like adults.

Impact on Child Development
It has helped people learn and observe the different stages that children go through during certain ages.

How do we use cognitive development today?
People use it in order to produce an environment where children can "learn through experience."

Interesting Facts

 * Piaget studied zoology at the University of Neuchatel.
 * When he was 11 years old, he attended Neuchatel High School.
 * Jean Piaget recieved the Erasmus Prize in 1972 and the Balzan Prize in 1978.

Resources
McLeod, S. (2009). Jean piaget. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html (McLeod, 2009)

Jean piaget biography. (1996). Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/jean-piaget-9439915 ("Jean piaget biography," 1996)