Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development. Psychology Essay

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Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development
Introduction
Piaget's theory of cognitive development indicates that mental development in children occurs in four consecutive stages (Sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational). Jean Piaget held that children learn through observations of the environment and experiments. Therefore, the more a child relates with the natural world, the more he/she obtain new knowledge and integrate it with existing knowledge.
Evaluation of the Piaget’s theory
An important element of Piaget's theory is that generating intelligence and knowledge is an inherently active process (McLeod, p 2). To drive his idea forward, Piaget used schemas, assimilation, accommodation, and equilibrium as integral concepts to explain mental development. Much emphasis was put on schemas since they are the mental and physical elements that help children to interpret and understand the world. However, Vygotsky's views on children de...