ABSTRACT
We turn now to the work of Jean Piaget and a somewhat different view of cognitive structures than that conveyed by the gestalt movement. Gestalt psychologists, as we have seen, focused particularly on the immediate way in which structures of problems or of subject matters were perceived, as if entire structures were taken in “at a glance.” Because of its emphasis on the immediacy of insight and the relatively complete understanding that usually ensued, gestalt psychology seemed unconcerned with how knowledge of relationships built up to the point where such insight and recognition were possible. Nor did the gestal-tists seem concerned with how, over extended periods of time, people's capacities for recognition and insight might change. In contrast, Piaget was explicitly concerned with the process and development of thinking. He also believed that the fundamental characteristics of human thinking could be understood in terms of the logical propositions and relationships that human behavior expressed. Both his interest in logic and his concern with how thinking is modified during growth and experience helped to shape his definition of cognitive structure.
