Many psychologists have studied psychosocial development. The two examples are Jean Piaget (1896 - 1980) and Erik Erikson (1902-1994). Piaget was the first psychologist to effectively study cognitive development. His work includes a theory of children's cognitive development, comprehensive observational studies of cognition in children, and experiments aimed at revealing different cognitive abilities. According to Piaget, children are born with a very basic mental structure that is inherited and then developed. For Piaget, cognitive development was an advanced restructuring of mental procedures resulting from biological maturation and environmental experience (nature-nurture). Children construct an understanding of the world around them, then experience inconsistencies between what they already know and what they discover in their environment. Like Piaget, Erikson continues to believe that children develop in a predetermined order. He studied how children socialize and how their socialization affects their self-esteem. Erikson's theory of psychosocial development has eight distinct stages, each with two possible outcomes. The theory states that successful completion of each stage results in a healthy personality and successful interactions with others. Failing to complete one step can result in a reduced ability to complete other steps and therefore an unhealthy personality and self-esteem. However, these steps can be successfully resolved later. I wanted to test Piaget and Erikson's theory and see if I could identify them in six and seven year olds. When I walked into Ms. Shannon's class, I introduced myself and told the kids to pretend I wasn't in the class. . I sat at the back and... in the middle of paper...... I read another of Erikson's stages "Initiative versus Guilt" If given the opportunity, children develop a sense of initiative and feel secure in their abilities. lead others and make decisions. On the other hand, if this tendency is towards criticism or control, children develop a feeling of guilt. They may feel like a nuisance to others and will therefore remain followers, lacking personal initiative. After I finished my observation, I learned a lot of things I didn't realize from the way they interacted with each other. I have been around children before, but I have never analyzed their behavior or explained their behavior using psychology. I have a new appreciation and sympathy for primary school teachers, children still have a lot of cognitive development to do and it takes a caring person to do such work. Overall, I found the experience fascinating and enlightening.