--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Piaget's account of equilibration is not…" description: "\"“Piaget's account of equilibration is not only crucial for understanding his approach, it also sets his theory apart from most other theories concernin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb6/ulrich-m-ller-19704_cognitive-developmen_piaget-s-account-of-equilibration-is-not_2310004.jpg" --- # Piaget's account of equilibration is not only crucial for… ![“Piaget's account of equilibration is not only crucial for understanding his approach, it also sets his theory apart from most other theories concerning cognitive development.” quote by Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb6/ulrich-m-ller-19704_cognitive-developmen_piaget-s-account-of-equilibration-is-not_2310004.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb6/ulrich-m-ller-19704_cognitive-developmen_piaget-s-account-of-equilibration-is-not_2310004.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb6/ulrich-m-ller-19704_cognitive-developmen_piaget-s-account-of-equilibration-is-not_2310004.jpg) > ““Piaget's account of equilibration is not only crucial for understanding his approach, it also sets his theory apart from most other theories concerning cognitive development.”” [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Equilibration is the process by which children balance new information with existing knowledge, distinguishing Piaget’s view from other developmental theories. **In simple terms:** Balancing new and old ideas is key to learning. Key Takeaway Focus on integrating new experiences with what you already know. Themes cognitive development learning psychology Mood reflective analytical Type theoretical educational When to use this quote - classroom teaching - parental guidance - educational curriculum design Key Concepts equilibration constructivism theory of mind Questions to Reflect On - How does equilibration apply to adult skill acquisition? - What limits does it face in modern education? A Different Perspective Equilibration alone does not explain adult learning complexities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“As a biologist, Piaget considered cognitive development to be part of a much more general tendency of living systems to grow, change, improve and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/as-a-biologist-piaget-considered-cognitive-development-to-be-part-of/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“Jean Piaget was the first psychologist to complete a systematic study of cognitive development. He introduced us to the idea that children are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-landrigan/jean-piaget-was-the-first-psychologist-to-complete-a-systematic-study/) [Clare Landrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-landrigan/) > [“Piaget may 'be about' stages or cognitive development only in the way that Newton 'is about' gravity, or Columbus the West Indies, or Jefferson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kegan/piaget-may-be-about-stages-or-cognitive-development-only-in-the-way/) [Robert Kegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kegan/) > [“Piaget (1961/1966, pp. 152–153) made the same commitments as Kant: Normative properties are required for knowing reality, and so, following Kant, such properties are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/piaget-1961-1966-pp-152-153-made-the-same-commitments-as-kant/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“Chapman, M. (1988). Constructive evolution: Origins and development of Piaget's thought. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Chapman, M. (1992). Equilibration and the dialectics of organization.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/chapman-m-1988-constructive-evolution-origins-and-development-of/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“Psychologists do not see the need to work through Piaget’s complex ideas about equilibration and allied processes unless they first recognize the flaws, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/psychologists-do-not-see-the-need-to-work-through-piaget-s-complex/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“Piaget's work on infancy is based on the diligent observation of and experimentation with his own three children, Lucienne (born 1925), Jacqueline (born 1927),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/piaget-s-work-on-infancy-is-based-on-the-diligent-observation-of-and/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“Unlike Kant, for whom normative categories are a priori and fully formed in their use, for Piaget any framework has a formation in time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/unlike-kant-for-whom-normative-categories-are-a-priori-and-fully/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“Piaget, J. (1971). Insights and illusions of philosophy. New York: World Publishing Company. (Original work published in 1965)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/piaget-j-1971-insights-and-illusions-of-philosophy-new-york-world/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“An excellent overview of the development of Piaget's theory is provided by Chapman (1988) and more specifically about equilibration in a paper from 1992 (Chapman, 1992).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/an-excellent-overview-of-the-development-of-piaget-s-theory-is/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“Jackson, I. (1987). On situating Piaget’s subject: A triangulation based on Kant, structuralism, and biology. Philosophy of the Social Sciences, 17, 471–486.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/jackson-i-1987-on-situating-piaget-s-subject-a-triangulation-based-on/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“Heritability of various aspects of cognitive development is very high (e.g., around 70 percent for IQ) in kids from high–socioeconomic status (SES) families but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/heritability-of-various-aspects-of-cognitive-development-is-very-high/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [The cognitive development of the players is enormously important, as well as social competence and character values such as discipline and teamwork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joachim-low/the-cognitive-development-of-the-players-is-enormously-important-as/) [Joachim Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joachim-low/) > [Piaget is correct in assuming a culturally universal age development of a sense of justice, involving progressive concern for the needs and feelings of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kohlberg/piaget-is-correct-in-assuming-a-culturally-universal-age-development/) [Lawrence Kohlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kohlberg/) > [“Unless I miss my guess, Yolly is about to become obsessed with horses. It's practically a stage on Piaget's developmental profile.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-morrow/unless-i-miss-my-guess-yolly-is-about-to-become-obsessed-with-horses/) [James Morrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-morrow/) ## More by Ulrich Müller > [“Because psychologists generally take knowledge as unproblematic, the complexity of Piagetian theory seems simply superfluous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/because-psychologists-generally-take-knowledge-as-unproblematic-the/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“the main problem of any epistemology is in fact to understand how the mind succeeds in constructing necessary relationships, which appear to be independent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/the-main-problem-of-any-epistemology-is-in-fact-to-understand-how-the/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“Empiricism is not just an empirical method but also a theory of experience. Essentially, it conceives of human beings as passive and sense perception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/empiricism-is-not-just-an-empirical-method-but-also-a-theory-of/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“According to Piaget, the central idea of empiricism is that “the function of cognitive mechanisms is to submit to reality, copying its features as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/according-to-piaget-the-central-idea-of-empiricism-is-that-the/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“Piaget (1961/1966, pp. 152–153) made the same commitments as Kant: Normative properties are required for knowing reality, and so, following Kant, such properties are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/piaget-1961-1966-pp-152-153-made-the-same-commitments-as-kant/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“Social contexts provide ubiquitous cases of the same point: If one bottle of beer costs £1, six individual bottles may cost £6, whereas a six-pack costs £5.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/social-contexts-provide-ubiquitous-cases-of-the-same-point-if-one/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“Kant did not explain the origin of these judgments but assumed that they were attained by abstraction from the activity of the soul, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/kant-did-not-explain-the-origin-of-these-judgments-but-assumed-that/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“Kant argued that the mind has both receptive capacities and spontaneous capabilities, both operative in human knowledge. For Kant (1787/1933, B74, B93), knowledge has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/kant-argued-that-the-mind-has-both-receptive-capacities-and/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“Jackson, I. (1987). On situating Piaget’s subject: A triangulation based on Kant, structuralism, and biology. Philosophy of the Social Sciences, 17, 471–486.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/jackson-i-1987-on-situating-piaget-s-subject-a-triangulation-based-on/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“From an epistemological perspective, a person is a uniform being who interprets the different parts of her conscious knowledge in a coherent fashion (or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/from-an-epistemological-perspective-a-person-is-a-uniform-being-who/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“As a biologist, Piaget considered cognitive development to be part of a much more general tendency of living systems to grow, change, improve and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/as-a-biologist-piaget-considered-cognitive-development-to-be-part-of/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“It is important to recall at the outset that by a cognitive equilibrium (which is analogous to the stability of a living organism) we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/it-is-important-to-recall-at-the-outset-that-by-a-cognitive/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“An excellent overview of the development of Piaget's theory is provided by Chapman (1988) and more specifically about equilibration in a paper from 1992 (Chapman, 1992).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/an-excellent-overview-of-the-development-of-piaget-s-theory-is/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“the relevance of epistemology for the study of psychology and psychological development is that epistemological assumptions often remain tacit. Practically, this amounts to many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/the-relevance-of-epistemology-for-the-study-of-psychology-and/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“In the preface of his Critique of Pure Reason, Kant (1787/1933, B XVI) refers in the same way to the Copernican Revolution. He points…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/in-the-preface-of-his-critique-of-pure-reason-kant-1787-1933-b-xvi/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) [Explore all 32 Ulrich Müller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) ## More Cognitive Development quotes > [The cognitive development of the players is enormously important, as well as social competence and character values such as discipline and teamwork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joachim-low/the-cognitive-development-of-the-players-is-enormously-important-as/) [Joachim Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joachim-low/) > [“As a biologist, Piaget considered cognitive development to be part of a much more general tendency of living systems to grow, change, improve and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/as-a-biologist-piaget-considered-cognitive-development-to-be-part-of/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [“Jean Piaget was the first psychologist to complete a systematic study of cognitive development. He introduced us to the idea that children are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-landrigan/jean-piaget-was-the-first-psychologist-to-complete-a-systematic-study/) [Clare Landrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-landrigan/) > [“Piaget may 'be about' stages or cognitive development only in the way that Newton 'is about' gravity, or Columbus the West Indies, or Jefferson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kegan/piaget-may-be-about-stages-or-cognitive-development-only-in-the-way/) [Robert Kegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kegan/) > [“Heritability of various aspects of cognitive development is very high (e.g., around 70 percent for IQ) in kids from high–socioeconomic status (SES) families but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/heritability-of-various-aspects-of-cognitive-development-is-very-high/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) Browse all 6 Cognitive Development quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Piaget's account of equilibration is not only crucial for understanding his approach, it also sets his theory apart from most other theories concerning cognitive development.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ulrich Müller" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/piaget-s-account-of-equilibration-is-not-only-crucial-for/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cognitive Development" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/piaget-s-account-of-equilibration-is-not-only-crucial-for/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb6/ulrich-m-ller-19704_cognitive-developmen_piaget-s-account-of-equilibration-is-not_2310004.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb6/ulrich-m-ller-19704_cognitive-developmen_piaget-s-account-of-equilibration-is-not_2310004.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb6/ulrich-m-ller-19704_cognitive-developmen_piaget-s-account-of-equilibration-is-not_2310004.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Piaget's account of equilibration is not only crucial for understanding his approach, it also sets his…” — Ulrich Müller", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ulrich Müller", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Piaget's account of equilibration is not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/piaget-s-account-of-equilibration-is-not-only-crucial-for/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/piaget-s-account-of-equilibration-is-not-only-crucial-for/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```