Bärbel Inhelder
Encyclopedia
Bärbel Inhelder was a Swiss developmental psychologist, the most famous co-worker of Jean Piaget
. She was born in St. Gall, Switzerland
and moved to Geneva
in 1932 where she studied at the University of Geneva
Institut Jean-Jacques Rousseau. She obtained her bachelor's (1935) and doctorate (1943) in psychology
.
Inhelder worked at the University of Geneva until her retirement in 1983, collaborating with Jean Piaget
in his experimental work on child development
. Their collaboration began with her dissertation on children's conservation and continued for almost 50 years. Their many joint publications include The Growth of Logical Thinking from Childhood to Adolescence (1958), The Psychology of the Child (1966), and The Child's Conception of Space (1967).
Inhelder's work was particularly significant in the discovery of the stage of "formal operations" occurring in the transition between childhood
and adolescence
. This type of thinking involves deductive reasoning
and the ability to reason hypothetically
.
Barbel Inhelder died in 1997.
Jean Piaget
Jean Piaget was a French-speaking Swiss developmental psychologist and philosopher known for his epistemological studies with children. His theory of cognitive development and epistemological view are together called "genetic epistemology"....
. She was born in St. Gall, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and moved to Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
in 1932 where she studied at the University of Geneva
University of Geneva
The University of Geneva is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland.It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin, as a theological seminary and law school. It remained focused on theology until the 17th century, when it became a center for Enlightenment scholarship. In 1873, it...
Institut Jean-Jacques Rousseau. She obtained her bachelor's (1935) and doctorate (1943) in psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
.
Inhelder worked at the University of Geneva until her retirement in 1983, collaborating with Jean Piaget
Jean Piaget
Jean Piaget was a French-speaking Swiss developmental psychologist and philosopher known for his epistemological studies with children. His theory of cognitive development and epistemological view are together called "genetic epistemology"....
in his experimental work on child development
Child development
Child development stages describe theoretical milestones of child development. Many stage models of development have been proposed, used as working concepts and in some cases asserted as nativist theories....
. Their collaboration began with her dissertation on children's conservation and continued for almost 50 years. Their many joint publications include The Growth of Logical Thinking from Childhood to Adolescence (1958), The Psychology of the Child (1966), and The Child's Conception of Space (1967).
Inhelder's work was particularly significant in the discovery of the stage of "formal operations" occurring in the transition between childhood
Childhood
Childhood is the age span ranging from birth to adolescence. In developmental psychology, childhood is divided up into the developmental stages of toddlerhood , early childhood , middle childhood , and adolescence .- Age ranges of childhood :The term childhood is non-specific and can imply a...
and adolescence
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
. This type of thinking involves deductive reasoning
Deductive reasoning
Deductive reasoning, also called deductive logic, is reasoning which constructs or evaluates deductive arguments. Deductive arguments are attempts to show that a conclusion necessarily follows from a set of premises or hypothesis...
and the ability to reason hypothetically
Hypothesis
A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. The term derives from the Greek, ὑποτιθέναι – hypotithenai meaning "to put under" or "to suppose". For a hypothesis to be put forward as a scientific hypothesis, the scientific method requires that one can test it...
.
Barbel Inhelder died in 1997.
External links
- Barbel Inhelder
- Inhelder, Bärbel (1913-1997) Encyclopedia of Psychology.