Children think in a different way to adults. They also think differently at different ages. This book, originally published in 1984, studies the growth of those processes by means of which thinking evolves from infancy through childhood and adolescence into adulthood. It covers perception, memory, language and, above all, the development of mental ‘programmes’, or strategies, through which people structure and hence comprehend the information coming to them from their environment.

The study of cognitive development has obvious educational implications. Development in the pre-school period, the appropriateness of schooling for levels of cognitive competence, and the significance of ageing are just some of the issues considered.