ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the work of Jean Piaget on cognitive development and describes Piaget's theory of cognitive development and its relationship to motor development. It also describes Piaget's preoperations stage and related motor development and also describes cognitive and motor development in later childhood and adolescence. Cognitive development strongly depends on the movement capabilities the individual has acquired; similarly, motor development depends on intellectual capabilities. The interactive cognitive process is apparent in Piaget's theory. On the positive side, the child who has attained the level of cognitive ability is now capable of mentally representing objects, actions, or events. This mental capability has obvious implications for motor development. Piaget considered seriation another characteristic common to children at this level of development. An additional product of formal thought is what Piaget referred to as hypothetical-deductive reasoning. This term indicates a problem-solving style in which the individual generates and systematically considers possible solutions to a problem.
