Jean Piaget Vs Vygotsky

Cognitive development covers the development of a child’s thinking, and includes sensory development, concept formation, problem solving, memory and concentration, the development of creativity and imagination. Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky are two of the main psychologists whose work in this area has been the foundation of much research in cognitive psychology. A common understanding between the two rest on the idea that cognitive development in children occurs through stages, nonetheless, their recognition of these stages vary. Jean Piaget and his contributions to cognitive development was one of the major breakthroughs in psychology. He was progressively inspired by behaviourisms and started to research and examine the subject even further.

Vygotsky stated that children learn a sense of self through interaction with others. Piaget said that adults provide the stimulants and environment to learn but too much interference can damage a child's natural development. However, in Vygotsky’s theory he believed that this interaction is one of the most crucial parts of development for a child. Despite the fact that Vygotsky and Piaget both created speculations of subjective improvement, their methodologies still varied. Unlike Piaget, Vygotsky believed that the development of a child couldn’t only be examined on their abilities on their own, but rather on what they achieved with help (Beaver, M., Brewster, J., & Jones, P.,

It is evident that both Piaget and Vygotsky acknowledge cognitive development in children as a process and view the child as an active learner. However, it is important that a distinguish is made between their different stages of development. Although Piaget seems to have adequately described general sequences of intellectual development, his tendency to infer underlying competencies from intellectual performances often led him to underestimate children’s cognitive capabilities. Some investigators have challenged Piaget’s assumption that development occurs in stages, whereas others have criticized his theory for failing to specify how children progress from one “stage” of intellect to the next, and for underestimating social and cultural influences on intellectual development. Vygotsky provided a valuable service by reminding us that cognitive growth is best understood when studied in the social and cultural contexts in which it occurs. Although this theory has fared well to date, it has yet to receive the intense scrutiny that Piaget’s theory has. (Shaffer & Kipp,