PSY 104 Child and Adolescent Development WK3-D1

Compare and Contrast the Theories of Piaget and Vygotsky [WLOs: 1, 2] [CLOs: 1, 4]     

Prior to completing this discussion, read Chapter 7 in your textbook and Piaget’s Enduring Contribution to Developmental Psychology article, and watch the Play: A Vygotskian approach and Piaget’s Stages of Development (Links to an external site.)
Jean Piaget is probably the most influential theorist in the  cognitive development realm. His work has informed American educational  practices since the early 1900s. Another key cognitive theorist in the  realm is Lev Vygotsky. Interestingly, Vygotsky and Piaget were  contemporaries (both were born in 1896), but for many years, Piaget’s  theory dominated. The fact that Vygotsky died at age 37, while Piaget  lived to be 84, might be part of that explanation. But Vygotsky’s ideas  gained traction in the 1980s when educators began to question long held  Piagetian ideas. Nevertheless, both theories are important to the study  of cognitive development. In your initial post of 300 words minimum,

Provide a brief overview of Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s child and adolescent cognitive developmental theories.
Compare and contrast these theories as they relate to child and  adolescent development by identifying at least one commonality in the  two theories and two major conceptual differences (Table 7.2 in your  textbook will be useful here).
Determine which of the two theories you most support and provide a rationale for your choice.

Your discussion post must use at least one credible source.