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Child Development – Infancy and Childhood In this section I will be discussing the theories of psychologists Jean Piaget and Len Vygotsky. Jean Piaget – 1896 – 1980 Jean Piaget was born in Switzerland on August 9, 1896. His father was a professor of medieval studies and his mother was a strict Calvinist (Protestant – following the teachings of John Calvin). He was somewhat of a child genius publishing his first paper at 10 years old – an account of his sightings of an albino sparrow. In 1918 Piaget received his Doctorate in Science from the University of Neuchatel. Piaget was thought of as one of the most significant psychologists of the 20th Century. By the end of his career he had written over 60 books and many hundreds of articles. Students studying primary education teaching are taught Piaget’s theories to enable them to understand the developmental needs of children in school today. Piaget’s theory was based on the biological basis of intellectual development in children (i.e. cogniti