•Educational Psychology Interactive: Cognitive Development
Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development
Citation: Huitt, W., & Hummel, J. (2003). Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Educational Psychology lnteractive.
Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University.
Jean Piaget (I 896-1980) was one of the most influential researchers in the area of developmental
psychology during the 20th century. Piaget originally trained in the areas ofbiology and philosophy and
considered himself a "genetic el).istemologist." He was mainly interested in the biologica] influences on
"how we come to know." He believed that what distinguishes human beings from other animals is our
ability to do "abstract symbolic reasoning." Piaget's views are often compared with those ofLev
.'{ygQtsky_( 1896-1934), who look ed more to socia! interaction as the primary source of cognition and __
behavior. This is somewhat similar to the distinctions made between Freud and Erikson in terms of the
development ofpersonality. The writings of Piaget (e.g., 1972, 1990; see Piaget, Gruber, & Voneche)
and Vygotsk)'. (e.g. Vygotsky, 1986; Vygotsky & Vygotsky, 1980), along with the work of Iohn Ds:wey
(e.g., Dewey, 1997a, 1997b), Jerome Bruner (e.g., 1966, 1974) and Ulrick Neisser (1967) form the basis
of the constructivist theory of learning and instruction.
While working in Binet's IQ test !ab in Paris, Piaget became interested in how children think. He noticed
that young children's answers were qualitatively different than older children which suggested to him
that the younger ones were not dumber (a quantitative position since as they got older and had more
experiences they would get smarter) but, instead, answered the questions differently than their older
peers because they thought differently.
There are _two major aspects to his theQiy: the process of coming to know and the stages we move
through as we gradually acquire this ability.
Process of Cognitive Development. As a biologist, Piaget was interested in how an organism adapts to
its environment (Piaget described as intelligence.) Behavior (adaptation to the enviromnent) is
controlled through menta! organizations called schemes that the individuai uses to represent the world
and designate action. This adaptation is driven by a biologica! drive to obtain balance between schemes
and the environment ( equilibration).
Piaget hypothesized that infants are bom with schemes operating at birth that he called "reflexes." In
other animals, these reflexes contro! behavior throughout !ife. However, in human beings as the infant
uses these reflexes to adapt to the enviromnent, these reflexes are quickly replaced with constructed
schemes.
Piaget described two processes used by the individuai in its attempt to adapt: assimilation and
accomodation. Both of these processes are used thciughout !ife as the person increasingly adapts to the
enviromnent in a more complex manner.
Assimilati on is the process of using or transforming the environment so that it can be placed in
preexisting cognitive structures. Accomodation is the process of changing cognitive structures in order
to accept something from the environment. Both processes are used simultaneously and altemately
throughout !ife. An example of assimilation would be when an infant uses a sucking schema that was
