Home > Encyclopedia of Psychology > John Hurley Flavell

1928-
American developmental and cognitive psychologist known for his studies of role-taking in children.

John Hurley Flavell is a founder of social cognitive developmental psychology. His research on "role-taking," the cognitive skills that children require in order to understand and accept the roles of others, was a major contribution to developmental psychology. Flavell was one of the first psychologists to study the ways in which children think about their thinking processes and the human mind. He is the author of more than 120 books and articles and was an advisory editor of the journal Cognitive Psychology. In 1984, Flavell received the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award of the American...