Inhelder's work was significant in the discovery of the formal operational stage of child development occurring during the transition between childhood and adolescence.
Inhelder's contributions to developmental psychology resulted in her being elected as a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
[1] At a young age Inhelder was moved around in different private and public schools; her father spent time teaching her history, philosophy, nature, and geography.
[2] When Inhelder was accepted into the University of Geneva, she began studying the history of science, neurology, evolutionary theory, as well as Gestalt psychology.
[3] Her discovery of this stage as well as her deductive reasoning and ability to think hypothetically resulted her in being elected for a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1976.