Influential Thinkers in alphabetical order (hopefully)
Piaget, Jean
Brief biography: (9 Aug 1896 – 16 Sept 1980) Born in Neuchatel, Switzerland he has published articles on molluscs by the age of 15. After graduating he went to teach in Paris at a school run by Alfred Binet (who had invented an intelligence test). Whilst marking these tests he noticed that younger children scored badly in some areas and this led to his theory of developmental stages. From 1925 to 1929 he was professor of psychology, sociology and the philosophy of science at the University of Neuchatel, where his father had been professor of biology. He took up the post of director of the International Bureau of Education in 1929, a post he was to keep for nearly 40 years.
Overview of concepts: The sociological model of development - That children move from egocentrism to sociocentrism. The biological model of intellectual development - That there are two stages; assimilation (where an infant uses the same technique, e.g. sucking to explore) and accommodation (where it adapts or creates new models for its environment. The logical model of intellectual development - Intelligence develops in a series of stages that are related to age and are progressive because one stage must be accomplished before the next can occur. Figurative thought - Concepts can only be acquired when the recipient is ready to understand them. (Wikipedia)
