Final answer:
The statement is true. Jean Piaget's influential theory of cognitive development describes how children's thinking evolves through distinct stages as they grow. His work remains foundational in the study of child psychology.
Step-by-step explanation:
A far-reaching and comprehensive theory of children's cognitive development that led to other lines of research in the same area was indeed formulated by Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget. This statement is true. Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development is known for outlining how children's cognitive abilities develop through specific stages. These stages are sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational.
Piaget believed that as children grow, these stages represent a discontinuous model of development, with distinct shifts in the way children understand and interact with their world. Piaget's ideas also influenced our understanding of the development of self, which involves the interaction of an individual's thoughts with social experiences. He introduced the concepts of schema, assimilation, and accommodation as ways that children process and learn from their environment.