Piaget's theory of cognitive development, known as Cognitive Developmental Theory, describes how children learn and develop their understanding of the world through a series of stages. His theory emphasizes that:
* Infants are not passive recipients of information but active learners who construct their own understanding of the world. They learn through interacting with their environment and through their sensory experiences.
* Early learning is based on sensory-motor skills. Infants learn about the world through their senses (sight, touch, taste, smell, hearing) and their movements. This is known as the sensorimotor stage of cognitive development, which Piaget believed lasts from birth to about two years of age.
While other theorists like Lev Vygotsky and Maria Montessori also focused on early childhood learning, Piaget's theory was the first to specifically detail the importance of sensory-motor experiences in infants' development.