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.