Jean Piaget was a Swiss psychologist known for his pioneering work in developmental psychology. Piaget's theory of cognitive development is one of the most influential theories in the field, outlining how children gradually acquire understanding of the world around them through stages of mental development. Here's an overview of Piaget's theory:Sensorimotor Stage (Birth to 2 years):Infants learn about the world through their senses and actions.They develop object permanence, understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are out of sight.Initially, their actions are mainly reflexive, but they gradually become more purposeful.Preoperational Stage (2 to 7 years):Children start to use symbols to represent objects and events.They engage in pretend play and begin to develop language skills.However, they struggle with conservation, the understanding that quantities remain the same despite changes in appearance.Concrete Operational Stage (7 to 11 years):Children begin to think more logically about concrete events and understand conservation.They can perform mental operations on objects that are physically present.They start to grasp concepts of time, space, and quantity more accurately.Formal Operational Stage (11 years and older):Adolescents develop abstract thinking and can reason about hypothetical situations.They can think logically about abstract concepts, such as love, freedom, and justice.They develop the ability for deductive reasoning and systematic problem-solving.Key concepts in Piaget's theory include:Schema: Mental structures that organize and interpret information.Assimilation: Interpreting new experiences in terms of existing schemas.Accommodation: Adjusting existing schemas or creating new ones to incorporate new information.Equilibration: The process of balancing assimilation and accommodation to achieve cognitive growth.Stages of Development: Piaget proposed a series of universal stages through which all children pass sequentially, though the timing and pace of development can vary.Piaget's theory has been influential in education, psychology, and child development fields, shaping approaches to teaching and parenting. However, it has also faced criticism for potential cultural and individual variations not adequately addressed in his universal stage model