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  • Essay / Key Psychologists in Child Cognitive Learning Theories

    I can't say I fully believe in any of these psychologists, but I tend to agree with many of their ideas. In particular, I agree more than others with Piaget and Vygotsky. I believe that a child's learning is not only about their social development, but also about their developmental age. Jean Piaget's research is truly fascinating and a foundation for many children's learning. At first I thought his theory was a bit strange, but after hearing more and applying his theory myself and to people I know, I knew Piaget was right. I believe that a child's cognitive development is a process, but not all stages are completed until adulthood. I have seen adults and even myself get stuck because I have not yet fully reached a stage of cognitive development. I believe this happens more than we think and many people don't associate feeling stuck with skipping or missing a stage of cognitive development. Piaget's theory says that a person will complete all stages of development by the end of their life, but may simply skip them or get stuck in a stage before completing development. I also believe in Vygotsky's theory of cognitive development associated with social development. There are things that strike me about Vygotsky that make me feel that his research and studies are accurate. When you look at children's lives, they act, talk and interact just like the people around them. Children copy adults, whom Vygotsky calls the more informed other, because they see them with more knowledge than themselves. When you study other cultures and the way children are raised, you see a pattern of how children grow up to be like their example the more they know others. I think Vygotsky made many good points in his research by showing how cognition relates to social development. Both Piaget and Vygotsky are