Recap:

All children pass through stages (sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational) to advance to the next level of cognitive development. In each stage, children demonstrate new intellectual abilities and increasingly complex understanding of the world. Stages cannot be "skipped"; intellectual development always follows this sequence.

Piaget's theory allows us to understand children's cognitive development and how and when they learn things. The preschool and school periods are important stages where children start to learn concepts. This is the best time to implement healthcare teachings.

Preschool children need support in establishing long‐term health habits and in understanding the difference between good and bad choices. It is important that nurses, who play an important role in children's health, create health messages that will instigate thinking and learning. A nurse who is well‐versed in the topic of children's cognitive development will also be aware of changes in the child's thoughts in the various stages of growth. The nurse will be able to integrate this knowledge into the education programme.

The theory provides a framework for understanding how people actively shape and are shaped by their environment.

A major component of the theory is observational learning: the process of learning desirable and undesirable behaviors by observing others, then reproducing learned behaviors in order to maximize rewards.

In one of the best-known experiments in the history of psychology, Bandura demonstrated that children learn and imitate behaviors they have observed in other people. The children in Bandura’s studies observed an adult acting violently toward a Bobo doll. When the children were later allowed to play in a room with the Bobo doll, they began to imitate the aggressive actions they had previously observed.

Bandura noted that external, environmental reinforcement was not the only factor to influence learning and behavior. He described intrinsic reinforcement as a form of internal rewards, such as pride, satisfaction, and a sense of accomplishment.

Social learning can also be utilized to teach people positive behaviors. Researchers can use social learning theory to investigate and understand ways that positive role models can be used to encourage desirable behaviors and to facilitate social change.