In spite of its obvious importance and popularity, the field of cognitive development remains highly fragmented due to the vast diversity of models of what knowledge and reasoning are, and how they develop. This new Classic Edition of Models of Cognitive Development aims to overcome this barrier through its careful introduction, illustrated examples, and approach to helping students think more critically about the subject.

In this significant work, Richardson provides students, researchers, and comparative theoreticians with a cohesive understanding of the area by organizing diverse schools, frameworks, and approaches according to a much smaller set of underlying assumptions or preconceptions, which themselves can be historically interrelated. By understanding these, it’s possible to find pathways around the area more confidently as a whole, to see the “wood” as well as the theoretical trees, and be able to react to individual models more critically and constructively.

The Classic Edition of this core text will be essential reading for undergraduate and graduate students of cognitive development.