Psychologists & Famous Figures in Psychology: Jean Piaget

The developmental theory of Jean Piaget has been criticized on the grounds that it is conceptually limited, empirically false, or philosophically and epistemologically untenable. This study attempts to rebut these criticisms by showing that most of them (a) derive from widespread misinterpretations of the work of Piaget; (b) fail to appreciate the 2 central issues of his thinking—how new forms of thinking emerge during ontogenesis and how they become psychologically necessary; (c) incorrectly assume that many controversies concerning his theory can be settled empirically or methodologically before they are clarified conceptually; (d) ignore various modifications of Piagetian theory, particularly those advanced after 1970; and (e) forget the dialectical, constructivist, and developmental nature of Piaget's unique approach to human development. Although the authors do not claim there is a 'true' Piaget to be discovered, or that the problems with his theory vanish when it is better understood, they do claim that important aspects of Piaget's work have not been assimilated by developmental psychologists.

Jean Piaget held views according to which there are parallels between ontogeny and the historical development of culture, sciences, and reason. His books are full of remarks and considerations about these parallels, with reference to many logical, physical, social, and moral phenomena. This article explains that Piagetian cross-cultural psychology has delivered the decisive data needed to extend the research interests of Piaget. These data provide a basis for reconstructing not only the history of sciences but also the history of religion, politics, morals, culture, philosophy, and social change and the emergence of industrial society. Thus, it is possible to develop Piagetian theory as a historical anthropology in order to provide a basis for the humanities and social sciences.

In part 1, Drs. Robert Karplus and Celia Stendler Lavatelli use Piagetian classification tasks to demonstrate how children’s ability to use categories develops during middle childhood. In part 2, Children between the ages of five and twelve perform tasks dealing with quantity, length, area, and volume to illustrate the Piagetian concept of conservation. The children's differing approaches to the tasks are discussed by Dr. Robert Karplus and Celia Stendler Lavatelli. In part 3, Children from infancy to six years of age perform tasks designed by Jean Piaget and his collaborators which reveal how intellectual thought develops and manifests itself in early childhood. Dr. Celia Stendler Lavatelli narrates the series.

Three part series that is volume 2 in the Piaget set. In part 1, we explore the tasks Dr. Piaget and his collaborators developed to probe the thinking styles of secondary students. Drs. Robert Karplus and Rita Peterson conduct the interviews. In part 2, Jean Piaget presents his work on this intriguing subject at a conference in Kyoto in 1971. Carefully translated English subtitles accompany Dr. Piaget’s presentation in French. Part 3 identifies the progress of moral thinking starting in preschool years and continuing to its unfolding in young adults. Dr. Lawrence Kohlberg’s stages are illustrated through an interview conducted by Drs. Susan De Merresmen-Warren and Elliot Turiel.

In this video, Jean Piaget and Barbel Inhelder discuss concepts of motivation, learning, perception, sensory-motor issues, pre-operational stages, and the operational stage.

The work of Jean Piaget has become the foundation of current developmental psychology and the basis for changes in educational practice. David Elkind, author of The Hurried Child and Miseducation, and a student of Jean Piaget, explores the roots of Piaget’s work and outlines important vocabulary and concepts that structure much of the study of child development. Using both archival film of Dr. Piaget and newly shot sequences of Dr. Elkind conducting interviews with children of varying ages, this film presents an overview of Piaget’s developmental theory, its scope and content.