Cognitive Theories of Human DevelopmentJean Piaget, known as the most important theorist; initiated the most comprehensive theory of intellectual development. Piaget was born in 1896, in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, and lived a full and meaningful life. He died at the age of 84. His father was a medieval historian and his mother was a housewife; she was very emotional and her behavior disrupted the normality of their home. Piaget married Valentine Chatenay and they soon welcomed three girls; Jacqueline, Lucienne and Laurent. The Paigets spent much of their time observing the girl's childhood development. Paiget's success began early in life. At the age of 10, Piaget published an article about a sparrow. At the age of 21, he received his doctorate in natural sciences. In the 1940s and 1950s he studied children and adolescents. It focused on children's understanding of mathematical and scientific concepts; he also continued to study cognitive development and philosophical issues in epistemology. Paiget initially faced objections from her colleagues; towards the end of the 1960s and in the following decades many psychologists began to recognize the importance of his theories. Another significant contributor to the theory of cognitive development was Lev Vygotsky. Vygotsky was born in 1896, in Tsarist Russia, to a middle-class Jewish family; unfortunately he died at the young age of 38, due to tuberculosis. His father was a banking executive and his mother was a teacher; although most of her time was spent raising their eight children. At school he was known as the “little professor”. As a young man he attended Moscow University, but his Jewish ancestry proved difficult. Vygotsky studied law, but also dabbled in many… middle of paper… discourse.” For Vygotsky, learning preceded development. Like Piaget, Vygotsky believed that children's egocentric speech was an important part of their cognitive development. The two differed in how they viewed the purpose of egocentric speech. The main difference between social and cognitive is that cognitive development involves building thought processes, including: remembering, solving problems, and making decisions, from childhood through adolescence to adulthood. References Crain, W. C. (2011). Developmental Theories: Concepts and Applications (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Craig, G. J., & Dunn, D. (2010). Understanding human development (2nd ed.). UpperSaddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.