Jean Piaget (1896-1980) was a Swiss psychologist known for his studies in determining how knowledge grows in children. He placed great importance on early education. Based upon the observation of children of all ages, including his own daughters and son, Piaget concluded even infants have certain skills when it comes to controlling objects in their environment. They use these skills and adapt them to new situations (such as grabbing objects, putting them into the mouth, and discovering different objects have different tastes, sounds and smells). Piaget also came up with defined stages of cognitive development, which is still referred to today. At the time of his work, Piaget’s was seen as a significant move away from the so-called “blank slate” approach – that children are born knowing very little, until life experience gradually imprints upon, and contributes to their body of knowledge.
