Question

Noted developmental psychologist jean piaget based his theory in large part on in-depth examinations of his own three children. Piaget's work exemplifies the _____ research method.

Answer 1

Jean Piaget utilized the case study research method, where he closely observed and analyzed the behavior and cognitive development of his own children to form his theories.

Step-by-step explanation:

Jean Piaget's Research Method

The developmental psychologist Jean Piaget based his insights into child development on in-depth examinations of his own three children. This approach is best characterized as the case study research method. Case studies are a research strategy where the development of one individual, or a very small group, is studied in depth over a period of time.

Piaget's work focused on how children's cognitive abilities develop through specific stages, representing a discontinuity approach to development. His observations and analyses of his own children's behavior helped inform his Cognitive Theory of Development. The findings from such case studies are invaluable; however, they are oftentimes difficult to generalize to a larger population.

Another example of the case study method can be found in Sigmund Freud's work, particularly his study of a child known as "Little Hans" which informed his theories of psychosexual development. Likewise, Piaget's scrutiny into his children's development played a pivotal role in shaping his theories on the development of self, which accounted for a balance between internal cognitive processes and external social experiences.

Answer 2

Piaget's work exemplifies the 'experimental method’ research method. The Piaget's ‘experimental method’ had three steps:

hypothesis testing

strict control of experimental variables

treatment of data with specifically designed statistical procedures.

Piaget's early methodology has been often criticised for many different reasons, and among them was the fact that the methodology was observational rather than experimental. Piaget's ‘experimental method’ later developed and became known as the ‘clinical method’.