Piaget' theories. Include the work of Vygotsky, Bruner, Donaldson and Rogoff to discuss and analyse Piaget's theories

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Write a detailed 1,500 word critique of Piaget' theories. Include the work of Vygotsky, Bruner, Donaldson and Rogoff to discuss and analyse Piaget's theories

Jean Piaget (1896 - 1980) was a constructivist theorist. He saw children as constructing their own world, playing an active part in their own development. Piaget's insight opened up a new window into the inner working of the mind and as a result he carried out some remarkable studies on children that had a powerful influence on theories of child thought. This essay is going to explain the main features and principles of the Piagetian theory and then provide criticism against this theory.

Cognitive development refers to way in which a person's style of thinking changes with age. Piaget argued that cognitive development is based on the development of schemas. This refers to a psychological structure representing all of a person's knowledge of actions or objects. To perform a new skill which the person has no schema, they have to work from previous skills that they have. This is called assimilation, where they have pulled previous schemas together then adapted and changed them to fit their task through accommodation. Piaget theorised that