Constructivism is the philosophical and scientific position that knowledge arises through a process of active construction. From this view, knowledge structures are neither innate properties of the mind nor are they passively transmitted to individuals by experience. In this entry, we outline recent advances in constructivist models of cognitive development, beginning by analyzing the origins of constructivist developmental theory in the seminal writings of Piaget. We then examine the ways in which theoretical and empirical challenges to his theory have resulted in the elaboration of a more powerful constructivism in the form of neoPiagetian and systems models of human development.

We outline the concept of intersubjective corroboration as an epistemology for psychological science. Psychological knowledge arises neither from subjectivity nor objectivity, but from intersubjective processes that occur between people. Intersubjective corroboration holds that psychological inquiry is optimally organized around three mutually-constituting activities: Conceptual coordination involves clarifying a priori theoretical concepts by subjecting them to rigorous philosophical analysis. Intersubjective engagement is the research process itself – a form of establishing intersubjectivity with participants. Intersubjective corroboration consists of verifying knowledge claims through the corroboration of multiple sources of evidence. We illustrate the approach in a study on the identification of emotion.