What was Jean Piaget primarily interested in?

Jean Piaget was primarily focused on how children develop an intellectual understanding of the world around them. His pioneering work in the field of developmental psychology led him to formulate theories about the cognitive development stages that children progress through from infancy to adolescence. Piaget's emphasis was on how children construct knowledge and how their thinking evolves as they interact with their environment.

This perspective is critical because it highlights the active role children take in their own learning, emphasizing that they are not merely passive recipients of information but rather active participants in constructing their understanding of the world. His stages of cognitive development—sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational— detail the progression of how children's thinking evolves with age and experience. This foundational understanding of cognitive development continues to influence educational practices and theories related to child development.