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4-3 Final Project Milestone One: Abstract
Brynne Nicholas
Department of Psychology, Southern New Hampshire University
PSY 319: Child/Adolescent Social Development
Instructor Michele Mortensen
November 20, 2022
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Among the most significant and influential researchers in the study of child development
are Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget and Soviet psychologist Lev Vygotsky. Jean Piaget and Lev
Vygotsky researched and studied the effects of play, externalizing behaviors, and social
adaptation on cognitive development. Our appreciation and understanding of the importance of
play and the ability to adapt socially in relation to the cognitive development of young children
and adolescents has been aided by the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky (Huit, W., & Hummel, J.,
2003).
Although there were similarities and differences in Piaget and Vygotsky’s theories and
ideas, neither argued that either point was more accurate than the other and instead, both focused
on their own research, ideas, and theories while professionally presenting their findings. Both
Piaget and Vygotsky recognized that learning occurs gradually for young children and that as
they get older, new information becomes more sophisticated and developed. Additionally, the
importance of nature and nurture as coexisting factors that influence learning and development
as well as cognitive development occurring in sequential stages were recognized by Piaget and
Vygotsky (Taylor, T., 2019).
Jean Piaget first concentrated on researching biology and philosophy, but he soon became
fascinated with the ways in which information is processed by children. Piaget was the first to
theorize and describe the process of cognitive development. Through his observations of his
conducted studies, Piaget recognized that qualitatively different responses were frequently
