Final answer:
Jean Piaget is credited as the first psychologist to systematically study cognitive development, formulating a theory involving a series of developmental stages with distinct cognitive abilities.
Step-by-step explanation:
Cognitive Development Theory
The Cognitive Development Theory investigates how children construct a mental model of their world, and Jean Piaget is recognized as the first psychologist to undertake a systematic study of cognitive development. Piaget proposed that children do not think in the same way adults do, and his theory is characterized by distinct stages of development reflecting changes in the thought process. The stages include the sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational stages. His work underscores the idea that development is neither entirely continuous nor solely based on either nature or nurture but is influenced by a combination of factors.
Piaget's theory has been foundational in understanding cognitive development, although later research, such as Baillargeon's work, has suggested that very young children demonstrate a cognitive understanding of the world earlier than Piaget originally theorized. Nevertheless, Piaget's perspective on children developing schemata through assimilation and accommodation processes to interpret the world remains influential in developmental psychology. These developmental changes are believed to happen through a child's interaction with their surroundings, refining their cognitive abilities over time.