Critically examine the contribution of Jean Piaget to our understanding of child development.

This essay shall examine the contribution of Jean Piaget to our understanding of child development. Until the mid 1900's psychologists had no useful theory for explaining how children's minds change as they age. Psychologists interested in this field either has to study it in relation to behaviourism, which emphasises that children merely receive information from the environment, or in relation to the IQ testing approach, which emphasises individual differences in children's development. However developmental psychologist …

…which are of interest or importance to them. This essay has examined the contribution of Jean Piaget to our understanding of child development. It described his theory of cognitive development in particular the four stages of development - sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete-operational and formal-operational. Although many of Piaget's beliefs have been questioned since its introduction of his theory of cognitive development, it still remains to be the framework for development from birth and throughout the lifespan.