Explain various cognitive theories of human development

For the academic journal, see Cognitive development is a field of study in sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational period. In recent years, however, alternative models have been advanced, including Early history [ ] Jean Piaget is inexorably linked to cognitive development as he was the first to systematically study developmental processes. Studies of Childhood in 1895 Children's Ways in 1897. Studies of Childhood, such as the mirror technique. Moral Stages and Moralization: The Cognitive-Development Approach (1976) and Essays on Moral Development (1981) Jean Piaget [ ] Main article: Stages [ ] Sensorimotor stage [ ] The first stage in Piaget's stages of cognitive development is the sensorimotor stage. This stage lasts from birth to two years old. During this stage, behaviors lack a sense of thought and logic. Behaviors gradually move from acting upon inherited reflexes to interacting with the environment with a goal in mind and being able to represent the external world at the end. The sensorimotor stage has been broken down into six sub-stages that explain the gradual development of infants from birth to age 2. Once the child gains the ability to mentally represent reality, the child begins the transition to the preoperational stage of development. Each child is born with inherited reflexes that they use to gain knowledge and understanding about their environment. Examples of these reflexes include grasping and sucking. From 1 to 4 mont...

What aspects of ourselves change and develop as we journey through life? We move through significant physical, cognitive, and psychosocial changes throughout our lives—do these changes happen in a systematic way, and to everyone? How much is due to genetics and how much is due to environmental influences and experiences (both within our personal control and beyond)? Is there just one course of development or are there many different courses of development? In this module, we’ll examine these questions and learn about the major stages of development and what kind of developmental tasks and transitions we might expect along the way. Learning Outcomes • Describe human development and its three domains: physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development • Explain key human development issues about the nature of change: continuous/discontinuous, one course/multiple courses, and nature/nurture • Describe the basic periods of human development Defining Human Development Figure 1. Human development encompasses the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial changes that occur throughout a lifetime. Human development refers to the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development of humans throughout the lifespan. What types of development are involved in each of these three domains, or areas, of life? Physical development involves growth and changes in the body and brain, the senses, motor skills, and health and wellness. Cognitive development involves learning, attention, memory, langua...

Learning Outcomes • Contrast the main psychological theories that apply to human development Developmental theories provide a set of guiding principles and concepts that describe and explain human development. Some developmental theories focus on the formation of a particular quality, such as Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. Other developmental theories focus on growth that happens throughout the lifespan, such as Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development. It would be natural to wonder which of the perspectives provides the most accurate account of human development, but clearly, each perspective is based on its own premises and focuses on different aspects of development. Many lifespan developmentalists use an eclectic approach, drawing on several perspectives at the same time because the same developmental phenomenon can be looked at from a number of perspectives. Try It In the table below, we’ll review some of the major theories that you learned about in this module. Recall that three key issues considered in human development examine if development is continuous or discontinuous, if it is the same for everyone or distinct for individuals (one course of development or many), and if development is more influenced by nature or by nurture. The table below reviews how each of these major theories approaches each of these issues. Table 1. Major Theories in Human Development [1] Theory Major ideas Continuous or discontinuous development? One course of development ...

Cognitive development is certainly not an easy topic to grasp. But don’t worry, we will try our best to help you with the essentials of this complex field of study. We’ll start with some background, then show you how cognitive skills are used every day. In addition, we will explain a few theories and describe fascinating studies. Since cognitive development goes beyond childhood and into adolescence, we are sure you will want to know all about this, too. To end this article, we provide some helpful resources. You can use these to support the cognitive skills of your students or clients. Before you continue, we thought you might like to This Article Contains: • • • • • • • • • What Is Cognitive Development in Psychology? Cognitive development is how humans acquire, organize, and learn to use knowledge (Gauvain & Richert, 2016). In psychology, the focus of cognitive development has often been only on childhood. However, cognitive development continues through adolescence and adulthood. It involves acquiring language and knowledge, thinking, memory, decision making, problem solving, and exploration (Von Eckardt, 1996). Much of the research within cognitive development in children focuses on thinking, developing knowledge, exploring, and solving problems (Carpendale & Lewis, 2015). Nature vs nurture debate The nature versus nurture debate refers to how much an individual inherits compared to how much they are influenced by the environment. How do nature and nurture shape cogni...