Jean Piaget Biography

Crystal Cipich

Psychology 1010

Richard Fleming

January 29, 2012

Jean Piaget

Jean Piaget was born in Neuchantel, Switzerland on August 9, 1896 to Arthur Piaget, a professor of medieval literature, and Rebecca Jackson. He died years later in Geneva on September 16, 1980. Jean Piaget was known as one of the most significant psychologist of the twentieth century.

Jean Piaget started his studies as early as age 11 when he wrote a short paper on an albino sparrow. This paper was considered the start of his scientific career. After high school, Jean studied natural science at the University of Neuchatel, where he earned his Ph.D in 1918. One year later in 1919 he left Switzerland for France. There he spent one year working with Alfred Binet to develop the first IQ test and became interested with the incorrect answers children gave on their test. In 1921, he became director of studies at the JJ Rousseau Institute in Geneva.

In 1923, he married one of his student co-workers Valentine Chatenay. Between 1925 to 1931 they had three children, which became the focus of intense observation by Piaget and his wife. Throughout the years Piaget occupied several chairs, psychology and sociology and history of science at Neuchatel from 1925 to 1929, history of scientific thinking at Geneva, International Bureau of Education from 1929 to 1967, sociology at Geneva from 1939 to 1952 and genetic and experimental psychology from 1940 to 1971. He created and directed the International Center for Genetic Epistemology, and in 1956 he created the School of Science at the University of Geneva. He also continued his public services through Unesco as a Swiss delegate. By the end of his career he had written over sixty books and several hundred articles.

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