Piaget's Contributions to Psychology
1. Piaget's greatest contribution was his finding of the field of cognitive development
* Piaget transformed the field of developmental psychology. If he were to be here today, he would be completely baffled by the conversations about him. He would hear psychologists discussing strategies, rule-governed behaviors, schemes, mental age, and so forth. To an extent Piaget was responsible for this change. He constantly asked questions that made developmentalists wonder why they never asked those questions in the first place. "Once psychologists looked at development in Piaget's eyes, they never saw children in quite the same way." (Flavell, 1996)
2. Piaget's assimilation-accommodation model of cognitive growth correctly displays the active, constructive nature of the child. This model lets us view cognitive development as a step-by-step process with each new mental structure growing through the continuous operation of assimilation and accommodation.
3. Piaget held many chair positions throughout his career and conducted research in psychology and genetics. He created the International Center for Genetic Epistemology in 1955 and served as director until his death.
5. Piaget proposed many insightful concepts and ideas in his process of research for the cognitive developmental theory. Many scientists to this day use these same terms the Piaget coined.
* EX) Scheme, equilibrium, disequilibrium, assimilation, accommodation, egocentrism, centration, formal operations, etc.
6. Above all, he developed his four-stage model of cognitive development in children. This model has had much support and criticism along the way, but it has made a lasting impact on the theory and field of education.
* Piaget transformed the field of developmental psychology. If he were to be here today, he would be completely baffled by the conversations about him. He would hear psychologists discussing strategies, rule-governed behaviors, schemes, mental age, and so forth. To an extent Piaget was responsible for this change. He constantly asked questions that made developmentalists wonder why they never asked those questions in the first place. "Once psychologists looked at development in Piaget's eyes, they never saw children in quite the same way." (Flavell, 1996)
2. Piaget's assimilation-accommodation model of cognitive growth correctly displays the active, constructive nature of the child. This model lets us view cognitive development as a step-by-step process with each new mental structure growing through the continuous operation of assimilation and accommodation.
3. Piaget held many chair positions throughout his career and conducted research in psychology and genetics. He created the International Center for Genetic Epistemology in 1955 and served as director until his death.
5. Piaget proposed many insightful concepts and ideas in his process of research for the cognitive developmental theory. Many scientists to this day use these same terms the Piaget coined.
* EX) Scheme, equilibrium, disequilibrium, assimilation, accommodation, egocentrism, centration, formal operations, etc.
6. Above all, he developed his four-stage model of cognitive development in children. This model has had much support and criticism along the way, but it has made a lasting impact on the theory and field of education.