A COGNITIVE-DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK

Prominent stage theories of cognitive development show evidence of a s tructure in which each stage contains a number of subsidiary levels. C omparisons of the stages in these theories have commonly been made thr ough the established links with stages of Piaget's theory. In response to Kagan's criticism of Piaget's theory, features of these developmen tal theories were used in this paper as the basis for a general framew ork of interactive stages and levels of cognitive operations. Some imp lications of the proposed framework in relation to cognitive developme nt theories and directions for further research are examined. Further application of this framework could help to identify commonalities in cognitive operations across different contents, contexts and cultures.