Which developmental psychologist heavily influenced Kohlberg's work?

The correct answer is 'Jean Piaget'

Key Points

• Jean Piaget:
  • Jean Piaget was a Swiss psychologist known for his pioneering work in child development.
  • His theory of cognitive development and epistemological view are together called "genetic epistemology".
  • Piaget's work focused on how children think and how their thinking changes as they grow older.
  • Lawrence Kohlberg was greatly influenced by Piaget’s stages of cognitive development, which inspired Kohlberg's stages of moral development.

Additional Information

• Lev Vygotsky:
  • Lev Vygotsky was a Soviet psychologist known for his work on sociocultural theory.
  • He emphasized the importance of social interactions and cultural tools in cognitive development.
  • Vygotsky's ideas about the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and scaffolding are widely studied in educational psychology, but his theories differ from those of Piaget and Kohlberg.
• John Watson:
  • John Watson was an American psychologist who established the psychological school of behaviorism.
  • He is known for his research on the conditioning process and his belief that psychology should primarily focus on observable behavior.
  • Watson's work did not directly influence Kohlberg's theories, as behaviorism contrasts with the cognitive-developmental approach.
• Erik Erikson:
  • Erik Erikson was a developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst known for his theory on psychosocial development across the lifespan.
  • His theory outlines eight stages of human development, each characterized by a different psychological crisis.
  • While Erikson's work is influential, it focuses more on psychosocial development rather than the moral development that Kohlberg studied.