Social studies education would benefit greatly if curriculum development was more directly linked to developmental child psychology based on Piagetian models of concrete operations. A science education program based on this model of concrete experiences is cited and positive results for both students and teachers are noted. Two social studies curriculum programs ("Man: A Course of Study" and "The Family of Man") and several Piagetian-based research studies provide positive evidence that all instruction should employ concrete operations with some exposure to formal operations, but not the reverse, a design found commonly in social studies textbooks. The cited models suggest a key for the development of social studies methods textbooks. Five ways that the social studies could benefit from Piagetian-based research are described including relating materials to cognitive stage development, preservice and inservice teaching training, federal assistance application, more concrete/manipulative material awareness and implementation, and more concentrated efforts to encourage the application of Piaget's developmental psychology by creative social studies educators. (TRS)