Final answer:
Jean Piaget is traditionally considered the 'father of modern developmental psychology,' primarily for his influential theory of cognitive development that explains how children's thought processes evolve through distinct stages.
Step-by-step explanation:
Who is the Father of Modern Developmental Psychology?
The individual traditionally referred to as the 'father of modern developmental psychology' is Jean Piaget. His work laid the groundwork for our contemporary understanding of child development, especially in cognitive processes. Piaget's theory of cognitive development is a foundational concept in the field, suggesting that children progress through a series of developmental stages that influence their thinking and reasoning capabilities. While Lev Vygotsky, Lawrence Kohlberg, and Jean Decety all made significant contributions to developmental psychology, it is Piaget's work on cognitive development that is often seen as pioneering.
Piaget's theory provided a detailed explanation of how children's intelligence grows and changes from infancy through adulthood. He believed that cognitive development is a progressive reorganization of mental processes resulting from innate biological maturation and environmental experience. Children construct an understanding of the world around them and then experience discrepancies between what they already know and what they discover in their environment.
Although Lev Vygotsky proposed important theories about sociocultural influences on development and Lawrence Kohlberg developed a theory of moral development, it is Jean Piaget who is best recognized for his influential work on cognitive development in children, which is why he earns the title of 'father of modern developmental psychology'.