Which psychologist is best known for his stages of cognitive development?

Jean Piaget is best known for his stages of cognitive development, which he proposed to explain how children's thinking evolves over time as they interact with their environment. Piaget identified four major stages: the sensorimotor stage, the preoperational stage, the concrete operational stage, and the formal operational stage. Each stage represents a different way of thinking and understanding the world, demonstrating that cognitive development is a progressive reorganization of mental processes resulting from biological maturation and environmental experience. This framework has been fundamental in understanding how children learn and has had a significant impact on education and developmental psychology.

In contrast to Piaget, Abraham Maslow is known for his hierarchy of needs, which focuses on human motivation rather than cognitive development. Sigmund Freud's theories revolve around psychosexual stages of development, emphasizing the role of unconscious processes. Erik Erikson is recognized for his stages of psychosocial development, which explore personality and identity across the lifespan rather than cognitive processes specifically.