The Psychology Of The Child

The definitive account of children’s cognitive development by the renowned psychologist Jean Piaget

“Piaget’s stress on the interaction of biological functions and the structure of the environment…was, in the opinion of many psychologists and education specialists, as liberating and as revolutionary as Sigmund Freud’s.”—New York Times

Jean Piaget’s influence on child psychology is unmatched. His pathbreaking investigations and theories of cognitive development sent psychological research in new directions, and his influence has an ever-growing impact on the culture at large.

In The Psychology of the Child, Jean Piaget and his long-time collaborator Bärbel Inhelder offer a definitive presentation of Piaget’s research and theories of how cognitive processes develop. Through intensive interviews and observations, Piaget realized that cognition develops over time, in response to one’s environment, and with exposure to new information. Through his exemplary descriptions of a child’s cognitive development from infancy to adolescence, this classic book gives readers a broad and nuanced understanding of how intelligence unfolds.

• “[Piaget’s] stress on the interaction of biological functions and the structure of the environment, elaborated in more than 60 years of research, was, in the opinion of many psychologists and education specialists, as liberating and as revolutionary as Sigmund Freud's.”
  The New York Times
• “Though [Piaget] may not be as famous as Sigmund Freud or even B.F. Skinner, his contribution to psychology may be longer lasting. As computers and the Internet give children greater autonomy to explore ever larger digital worlds, the ideas he pioneered become ever more relevant.”
  Seymour Papert, Time
• “From Piaget we have learned what the child knows, how he comes to know it, what he is likely to be able to learn and what is completely beyond his grasp at various stages of childhood...[and the] most succinct summary of his works is The Psychology of the Child.”
  Howard Gardner, The New York Times
• "A careful reading of The Psychology of the Child" reveals the fruitful intuition of one of the twentieth century's most imaginative scholars."
  Jerome Kagan, Harvard University
• “This brief book by Piaget and Bärbel Inhelder gives an overview and is much easier to comprehend than many of his other publications…Piaget is a genius and has much to contribute to our understanding of child development.”
  Psychoanalytic Review
• "An outstanding introduction to Piaget's work."
  Publishers Weekly
• "Because Piaget asked new questions—cognitive-organismic questions—the whole train of developmental research has been turned in a new direction. A rare treat is in store for the reader."
  American Journal of Psychiatry