Point out the major differences between Piaget’s and Bruner’s theory of cognitive development.

The main differences between Bruner and Piaget’s theories of cognitive development are as follows:

1. According to Piaget’s theory, cognitive development takes place in a series of stages whereas in Bruner’s theory, cognitive development is a continuous process.
2. Piaget’s theory suggests that language is a consequence of cognitive development whereas Bruner’s theory asserts that language is a cause of cognitive development.
3. Piaget’s theory puts little emphasis on socio-cultural context whereas Bruner’s theory puts a lot of emphasis on socio-cultural context believing that it influences one’s intellectual development.
4. As opposed to Bruner’s three stages, Piaget’s theory has four stages namely, sensorimotor stage, preoperational stage, concrete operational stage, and formal operational stage.
5. Bruner’s theory has three representation stages namely the enactive stage, iconic stage, and symbolic stage as opposed to Piaget’s four stages of cognitive development.