What is a major difference between Erikson's psychosocial theory and Piaget's cognitive theory?

• A. Erikson focuses on cognitive development across the lifespan; Piaget focuses on social interaction.
• B. Erikson focuses on psychosocial development across the lifespan; Piaget focuses on cognitive development and thinking patterns.
• C. Erikson emphasizes behaviorism; Piaget emphasizes personality.
• D. Erikson is biological; Piaget is cultural.

Answer: (B)

Focus on the domain and scope of each theory. Erikson's framework centers on psychosocial development across the lifespan, exploring how social relationships and identity unfold through a series of stages. Piaget, on the other hand, focuses on cognitive development and how thinking, reasoning, and mental operations change as children grow, through distinct cognitive stages. This difference in what each theory explains—psychosocial tasks and social influence over the whole life span versus cognitive processes and thinking patterns—is why the best answer emphasizes Erikson’s lifelong psychosocial focus and Piaget’s cognitive focus.

The other statements mix up what each theory describes: Erikson is not about cognitive development, Piaget is not about social interaction, and neither theory is primarily about behaviorism, personality, biology, or culture.