Stages in the Development of Economic Concepts

Abstract

This paper examines the development of economic concepts from a Piagetian cognitive-developmental perspective. Clinical interviews are used to investigate the economic concepts of children between the ages of 4 and 12. The main objective of the research is to determine the extent to which conceptual development in this area is compatible with the Piagetian hypothesis of discrete stages in the formation of social consciousness. The findings of the study are generally consistent with the Piagetian view that knowledge develops through a sequence of qualitative cognitive stages. The existence of these stages suggests that the development of social knowledge must be viewed as a process in which the child is actively engaged in the construction of social meanings, rather than being the passive recipient of meanings presented through immediate experience or the instruction of adults.