The Cambridge Companion to Piaget

by Ulrich Müller PhD, Jeremy I. M. Carpendale PhD, Leslie Smith PhD

Overview

Jean Piaget (1896–1980) was listed among the 100 most important persons in the twentieth century by Time magazine, and his work – with its distinctive account of human development – has had a tremendous influence on a range of disciplines from philosophy to education, and notably in developmental psychology. The Cambridge Companion to Piaget provides a comprehensive introduction to different aspects of Piaget’s work in a manner that does not eschew engagement with the complexities of subjects or debates yet is accessible to upper-level undergraduate students. Each chapter is a specially commissioned essay written by an expert on the subject matter. Thus, the book will also be of interest to academic psychologists, educational psychologists, and philosophers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521898584
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/31/2009
Series:	Cambridge Companions to Philosophy
Pages:	442
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Ulrich Müller is Associate Professor of Developmental Psychology at the University of Victoria. His research focuses on the development of problem solving and social understanding in infants and preschoolers. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Jean Piaget Society, and is an Associate Editor of New Ideas in Psychology. He is the editor of Developmental Perspectives on Embodiment and Consciousness (with Willis Overton and Judith Newman) and Social Life and Social Knowledge: Toward a Process Account of Development (with Jeremy Carpendale, Nancy Budwig, and Bryan Sokol). He received the Early Scientific Achievement Award from the Society of Research in Child Development in 2005.

Jeremy I. M. Carpendale is Professor of Developmental Psychology at Simon Fraser University. He has published in the areas of cognitive, social cognitive, and moral development. His work focuses on the nature and development of thinking about social and moral matters and the role of language and social interaction in such development. He is an Associate Editor of New Ideas in Psychology and author of How Children Develop Social Understanding (with Charlie Lewis). He is an editor of several books, including Social Life and Social Knowledge: Toward a Process Account of Development (with Ulrich Müller, Nancy Budwig, and Bryan Sokol).

Leslie Smith is a freelance researcher based in the Lake District in North West England and Professor Emeritus at Lancaster University. His main interests are in Piaget's theory, the development of children's reasoning, especially modal reasoning, and the psychology and epistemology of development with special reference to normativity. His published work includes a dozen books, most recently Norms in Human Development (as editor, with Jacques Vonèche). He is currently an Associate Editor of New Ideas in Psychology and is working on a monograph, Piaget's Developmental Epistemology, to be published by Cambridge University Press.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: overview Ulrich Müller, Jeremy I. M. Carpendale, and Leslie Smith; 2. The historical context of Piaget's ideas Maryléne Bennour and Jacques Vonéche; 3. Piaget's developmental epistemology Leslie Smith; 4. Piaget's biology John G. Messerly; 5. On the concept(s) of the social in Piaget Richard F. Kitchener; 6. Piaget on equilibration Jan Boom; 7. Constructive processes: abstraction, generalization, and dialectics Robert L. Campbell; 8. Piaget and method Trevor Bond and Anastasia Tryphon; 9. Infancy Ulrich Müller; 10. Childhood Maximilian B. Bibok, Ulrich Müller, and Jeremy I. M. Carpendale; 11. Adolescence David Moshman; 12. Piaget's theory of moral development Jeremy I. M. Carpendale; 13. Piaget's enduring contribution to a science of consciousness Michel Ferrari; 14. Piaget and affectivity Bryan W. Sokol and Stuart I. Hammond; 15. Piaget's pedagogy Leslie Smith; 16. Piaget in the United States, 1925–71 Yeh Hsueh; 17. The mind's staircase revised Thomas Kesselring; 18. Dynamic development: a neo-Piagetian approach L. Todd Rose and Kurt W. Fischer.

Editorial Reviews

The Cambridge Companion to Piaget brings together a superb editorial team who brilliantly explicate the relationship between Piaget’s epistemological framework and his empirical work, while simultaneously placing Piaget’s work in the context of modern psychology. The chapters provide fresh insights into Piagetian thinking about a range of domains of development and periods of the life course. The Cambridge Companion to Piaget also provides readers who have only read Piaget’s work in translation with missing links and points out oversights in translation. All of this is done in an accessible and rigorous style characteristic of the editors’ prior scholarship. This remarkable volume will become a classic that every developmentalist – whether student or scholar – will want to use as the source on Piagetian thinking.”
– Nancy Budwig, Clark University and Past President, Jean Piaget Society


“This book is a wonderfully detailed and comprehensive volume about the writings, theories, and programs of research by the founder of genetic epistemology (the origins of knowledge), Professor Jean Piaget, whose books and articles provided the groundwork for developmental psychology and developmental science as empirically robust and theoretically rich fields of inquiry.”
– Melanie Killen, University of Maryland and co-editor of the Handbook of Moral Development


“The Cambridge Companion to Piaget is a very important and needed volume. It provides unique and impressive history, analysis, and commentaries on the invaluable contributions of Jean Piaget – one of the most important theorists and researchers in psychology. This compilation provides an excellent grounding for anyone interested in epistemology and human development.”
– Elliot Turiel, University of California, Berkeley


"....On the whole, even those chapters dealing with theoretically difficult aspects of Piaget's epistemology are well explained and clear. This makes this volume both an essential addition to the scholar's bookshelf as well as an ideal source of readings on Piaget's ideas for the advance student. Make no mistake: The picture of a young Piaget on the book cover sends the message that his developmental theory continues to be among the most comprehensive to date and that great many possibilities remain to be generated by his groundbreaking ideas."
—Dr. Diane Poulin-Dubois, Concordia University, Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne

From the Publisher