The previous chapter argued that traditional research and assessment methods involving standardized administration are often inadequate for understanding the complexities and dynamics of the child's mind. The theme of this chapter is that the cognitive tradition provides the theoretical rationale for an alternative method which can help us achieve the goal of gaining insight into the child's mental constructions. The clinical interview, a class of powerful techniques, can help us enter the child's mind.

In this chapter I begin by presenting examples of clinical interviews, so as to highlight key features, including their flexibility and ethic of respect. Next I describe the ideas of three seminal cognitive theorists — Freud, Piaget, and Vygotsky — who provide the theoretical rationale for use of clinical interview methods.