Cognitive development
Cognitive Devlopment
What is Cognitive Development
Cognitive development refers to "...how a person perceives, thinks, and gains an understanding of his or her world through the interaction and influence of genetic and learned factors" (Plotnik, 1999)
Research areas on cognitive development includes: information processing *, intelligence, language development*, memory, (to name a few).
Cognition
Cognition can be defined as "the act or process of knowing in the broadest sense; specifically, an intellectual process by which knowledge is gained from perception or ideas" (Webster's Dictionary). Cognition is central to the development of psychology as a scientific discipline
Cognitive/Learning Styles
Cognitive styles refer to the preferred way an individual processes information. Unlike individual differences in abilities these styles describe a person's typical mode of thinking, remembering or problem solving. Furthermore, styles are usually considered to be bipolar dimensions whereas abilities are unipolar (ranging from zero to a maximum value). Having more of an ability is usually considered beneficial while having a particular cognitive style simply signifies a tendency to behave in a certain way. Cognitive style is a usually described as a personality dimension which influences attitudes, values, and social interaction.
A number of cognitive styles have been identified and studied over the years. Field independence versus field dependence is probably the most well known style. It refers to a tendency to approach the environment in an analytical, as opposed to global, fashion. At a perceptual level, field independent personalities are able to distinguish figures as discrete from their backgrounds compared to field dependent individuals who experience events in an undifferentiated way. In addition, field dependent individuals have a greater social orientation relative to field independent personalities. Studies have identified a number connections between this cognitive style and learning (see Messick, 1978). For example, field independent individuals are likely to learn more effectively under conditions of instrinstic motivation (e.g., self-study) and are influenced less by social reinforcement.
THE COGNITIVE APPROACH
"...focuses on how we process, store, and use information and how this information influences what we attend to, perceive, learn, remember, believe, and feel
Different Theorist of Cognitive Development
Here are some very important individuals that are important when it comes to Cognitive Development
- ALFRED BINET
1857-1911
"Alfred Binet was a French psychologist. From 1894 he was director of the psychology laboratory at the Sorbonne. He is known for his research and innovation in testing human intelligence. With Théodore Simon he devised (1905–11) a series of tests that, with revisions, came into wide use in schools, industries, and the army. The Stanford, the Herring, and the Kuhlmann are important revisions. Binet and Simon wrote Les Enfants anormaux (1907, tr. Mentally Defective Children, 1914). Most of his writings were published in Année psychologique, a journal that he founded in 1895."
JEAN PIAGET 1896-1980
"To present an adequate notion of learning one must first explain how the individual manages to construct and invent, not merely how he repeats and copies."
Jean Piaget was a Swiss psychologist known for his research in developmental psychology. After receiving a degree in zoology from the Univ. of Neuchâtel (1918), Piaget's interests shifted to psychology. He studied under C. G. Jung and Eugen Bleuler in Zürich, and then in Paris at the Sorbonne. There, he worked with Alfred Binet in the administration of intelligence tests to children. In reviewing the tests, Piaget became interested in the types of mistakes children of various ages were likely to make. After returning to Switzerland in 1921, Piaget began to study intensively the reasoning processes of children at various ages. In 1929, he became professor of child psychology at the Univ. of Geneva, where he remained until his death, also serving as professor of psychology at the Univ. of Lausanne (1937–54). Piaget theorized that cognitive development proceeds in four genetically determined stages that always follow the same sequential order.
- Sensorimotor stage (Infancy).s.
- Pre-operational stage (Toddler and Early Childhood).
- Concrete operational stage
- Formal operational stage.
These are the four stages that Piaget theory are based on.
LEV VYGOTSKY 1896-1934
" In the process of historical development social man changes the ways and means of his behavior, transforms the matural instincts and functions, elaborates and creates new forms of behavior."
Lev Vygotski was a Russian psychologist. His most productive years were at the Institute of Psychology in Moscow (1924–34), where he expanded his ideas on cognitive development, particularly the relationship between language and thinking. His writings emphasized the roles of historical, cultural, and social factors in cognition and argued that language was the most important symbolic tool provided by society. His Thought and Language (1934) is a classic text in psycholinguistics.
ROBERT STERNBERG 1949-Current
Robert Sternberg was born December 8, 1949 in New Jersey. He received a Bachelors of Arts at Yale University in 1972 and Ph.D. at Stanford University in 1975.
Sternberg is currently a IBM professor of Psychology and Education at Yale Univeristy. Sternberg is known for his work on human intelligence, human creativity, thinking styles, learning disibilities, and love.
These were just a few cognitive theorist
Metacognition
Metacognition is the process of thinking about thinking. Flavell (1976) describes it as follows: "Metacognition refers to one's knowledge concerning one's own cognitive processes or anything related to them, e.g., the learning-relevant properties of information or data. For example, I am engaging in metacognition if I notice that I am having more trouble learning A than B; if it strikes me that I should double check C before accepting it as fact." (http://psychology.org/meta.html) Flavell argued that metacognition explains why children of different ages deal with learning tasks in different ways, i.e., they have developed new strategies for thinking. Research studies seem to confirm this conclusion; as children get older they demonstrate more awareness of their thinking processes.
Metacognition has to do with the active monitoring and regulation of cognitive processes. It represents the "executive control" system that many cognitive theorists have included in their theories. Metacognitive processes are central to planning, problem-solving, evaluation and many aspects of language learning.
Metacognition is relevant to work on cognitive styles and learning strategies in so far as the individual has some awareness of their thinking or learning processes. The work of Piaget is also relevant to research on metacognition since it deals with the development of cognition in children.
Social Development Theory (L. Vygotsky)
The major theme of Vygotsky's theoretical framework is that social interaction plays a fundamental role in the development of cognition. Vygotsky (1978) states: "Every function in the child's cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first, between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child (intrapsychological). This applies equally to voluntary attention, to logical memory, and to the formation of concepts. All the higher functions originate as actual relationships between individuals." (p57).
A second aspect of Vygotsky's theory is the idea that the potential for cognitive development depends upon the "zone of proximal development" (ZPD): a level of development attained when children engage in social behavior. Full development of the ZPD depends upon full social interaction. The range of skill that can be developed with adult guidance or peer collaboration exceeds what can be attained alone.
Vygotsky's theory was an attempt to explain consciousness as the end product of socialization. For example, in the learning of language, our first utterances with peers or adults are for the purpose of communication but once mastered they become internalized and allow "inner speech".
Vygotsky's theory is complementary to the work of Bandura on social learning and a key component of situated learning theory. Because Vygotsky's focus was on cognitive development, it is interesting to compare his views with those of Bruner and Piaget .
Nutrition is Important When it comes to Cognitive Development
Even before birth, a child's brain is busily taking in information and creating paths to a storage area for each bit of information. This process uses a large amount of energy. Energy is provided by the nutrition the child receives. It is vitally important to cognitive development for the child to be receiving appropriate amounts of nutrients. Protein is especially important to brain development both before and after birth. The "wiring" of the brain that is taking place at a furious pace during the early years will affect your child for the rest of her life. (http://www.enfamil.com/guides/childdevelopment/cognitive1.html)
Taking a Positive Role in your Child's Cognitive Development
You can take a positive role in your child's cognitive development by playing with him/her, having conversations with him/her, explaining what is happening as you go through the day together, introducing him/her to new activities and environments, encouraging him/her to explore and experiment, giving her choices, reading to him/her, being interested in him/her interests, letting him/her know it is okay to make mistakes, and loving and being proud of him/her.(http://www.enfamil.com/guides/childdevelopment/cognitive1.html)