There were four main theorist that heavily contributed to the study of Cognitive Development Jean Piaget, Benjamin Bloom, David Elkins and Lev Vygotsky. They all had a different approach to the way humans accumulate knowledge.
Jean Piaget cognitive theory was popularized in the mid- 1950s. His theory was built of the foundation of interaction.
Benjamin Bloom works on the taxonomy:
David Elkind constructed his ideas from Jean Piaget's work
Lev Vygotsky cognitive theory was popularized in the mid- 1960s