ABSTRACT
Simplicitly or explicitly, most cross-cultural studies in genetic psychology ask whether cognitive development in non-Western cultures follows the same sequential succession of stages as described by Piaget and by many other investigators in middle-class Western children. A verification of the succession of the three global stages would require longitudinal studies, or at least the examination of all three stages in the same ethnic group. In studying ethnic groups or subgroups which differ in some specific ways, it is possible to assess the respective importance of factors influencing cognitive development, a task which is impossible or more difficult when research is restricted to relatively homogeneous Western cultures. Whereas a large number of descriptive studies have clarified the cross-cultural validity of Piaget’s theory, a great deal of further, quasi-experimental research is needed in order to link the qualitative and quantitative aspects of operational development to specific cultural factors.
