Jean Piaget was the first psychologist to do a systematic study of cognitive development. Some of his contributions include detailed observational studies of cognition in children, a theory of the stages of childhood cognitive development, and a series of simple but thorough tests to reveal various cognitive abilities. Piaget (1936) explains how in his theory of cognitive development, a child builds a mental model of the world around him. He viewed cognitive development as a process that occurs due to biological malnutrition and lack of interaction with the surrounding environment and therefore did not agree with the idea that intelligence was a fixed trait. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In the 1920s Piaget worked for the Binet Institute where he was responsible for creating French versions of questions in English intelligence tests. He was intrigued by the reasoning children gave when they answered incorrectly a question that required logical thinking. He also believed that incorrect answers revealed important differences between the thinking of adults and that of children. Piaget wanted to research how fundamental concepts such as the idea of ​​time, number, causality, quantity and justice, etc. emerged. Before Piaget, it was commonly thought in psychology that children were simply less competent thinkers than adults. However, Piaget pointed out that young children think in surprisingly different ways than adults. The purpose of this theory is to explain the mechanisms and processes through which the newborn, and then the child, develop into an individual capable of reasoning and thinking using hypotheses. In Piaget's eyes, cognitive development was a progressive reorganization of mental processes, which were the result of biological maturation and environmental experience. Children are able to create an understanding of the world around them and also experience its inconsistencies between what they already know and what they discover in their environment (McLeod, 2015). This theory differs from the others in many different ways. It addresses children, rather than all students, with a developmental focus, meaning it does not address learning specific information or behaviors. The theory proposes discrete stages of development that are marked by qualitative differences over gradual increases in learning levels. number and complexity of behaviors, concepts and ideas, etc. Piaget (1952) defined a schema as “a cohesive and repeatable sequence of actions that has component actions that are closely interconnected and governed by a fundamental meaning.” To simplify, Piaget described schemas as the building blocks of intelligent behavior because they are a form of knowledge organization. Wadsworth (2004) suggested that schemas should be thought of as “cards” stored in the brain and each one tells an individual how to react to incoming information or stimuli. In talking about the development of an individual's mental processes, Piaget was referring to the increase in complexity and quantity of the schema compared to what an individual had learned. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Piaget emphasized the importance of schemas in cognitive development and how they are acquired or developed. The best way to describe a schema is as a set of connected representations of the world, which individuals use to understand and respond to situations. Yes.