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A Metatheory for Cognitive Development (or “Piaget is Dead” Revisited)
Author(s) -
Bjorklund David F.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/cdev.13019
Subject(s) - metatheory , cognitive development , piaget's theory of cognitive development , psychology , cognition , causation , cognitive science , constructivism (international relations) , evolutionary psychology , epistemology , cognitive psychology , social psychology , philosophy , international relations , neuroscience , politics , political science , law
In 1997, I argued that with the loss of Piaget's theory as an overarching guide, cognitive development had become disjointed and a new metatheory was needed to unify the field. I suggested developmental biology, particularly evolutionary theory, as a candidate. Here, I examine the increasing emphasis of biology in cognitive development research over the past 2 decades. I describe briefly the emergence of evolutionary developmental psychology and examine areas in which proximal and distal biological causation have been particularly influential. I argue that developmental biology will continue to increasingly influence research and theory in cognitive development and that evolutionary theory is well on its way to becoming a metatheory, not just for cognitive development, but for developmental psychology generally.