Theories of Child Development When an infant enters the world, they are tiny, helpless humans who depend on adults for all their needs, from love to their diet. It is amazing to see how these little babies grow into adults capable of making decisions and becoming independent. There are many theories about how children develop and the role the environment plays, who affects their lives, and how events can shape their personalities. Some of these children have an easy life and others have a harder time making their way to adulthood. Child development has been largely ignored throughout human history and refers to what happens from birth to adulthood. Infants and children were generally viewed as a smaller version of the adult, and little attention was paid to the many advances in cognitive abilities, language use, and physical growth. Then, in the 20th century, interest began to grow in the area of ​​child development and tended to focus on abnormal behaviors. The following are some of the many theories of child development proposed by theorists and researchers.Jean Piaget: Cognitive Theories of Child DevelopmentJean Piaget was a Swiss psychologist. He was a specialist in child psychology and developed a theory of progressive intellectual development. He developed the theory of cognitive psychology which characterizes intelligence as the coordination of an organized intellectual system and the external world. Jean Piaget's theory was based on how children think differently from adults and proposed a theory of the stages of cognitive development. He was the first to realize that children play an active role in acquiring knowledge of their world and growing from that knowledge.Jean Piaget us...... middle of article.. ....knowledge about a child's development and Adolescent provides clues to understanding behavior and what is "normal" or typical when it comes to growth and development during the first months and years of life. All theories of development are related to each other and help to influence new theories. Each theory is important separately and as a whole. Works Cited Atherton JS (2011) Learning and Teaching; Behaviorism [Online: UK] accessed 28 March 2011 from http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/behaviour.htmAtherton JS (2011) Learning and Teaching; Piaget's Theory of Development [Online: UK] accessed March 28, 2011 at http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/piaget.htmPapalia, DE, Olds, Wendkos S., Feldman, Duskin R. (2008 ). A Child's World: From Infancy to Adolescence (11th ed.) New York: McGraw-Hill; Retrieved March 25,2011