Cognitive development

Introduction:

            Cognitive development is a field of study in neuroscience and psychology focusing on a child’s development in terms of information processing, conceptual resources perceptual skill, language learning and other aspects of brain development and cognitive psychology compared to an adult’s point of view. In other words, cognitive development is the emergence of the ability to kind think and understand.

            A major controversy in cognitive development has been “nature versus nurture” this is the question if cognitive development is mainly determined by an individuals innate qualities “(nature”), or by their personal experiences (“nurture”). Cognitive development refers to the development of thinking across the lifespan. Defining thinking can be problematic, because no clear boundaries separate thinking from other mental activities.

Meaning of Cognitive Development :

            Cognitive development implies the development of those basic skills which help us in getting to know the environment. The formulation of all awareness of the environment rests on the proper development of the five senses i.e touch, taste, smell, hearing and sight. While the senses are the “gateways” to all experience in the environment, the child learns from thease experiences and develops an understanding of the world around him with the assistance of certain skills which are “observation”, “memory”, “classification”, “sequential thinking”, “reasoning”, and “problem solving”. Thus all thease elements help in the development of cognitive behavior.

            Cognitive development or intellectual development is the development of the mental abilities and capacities which help the individual to adjust his behavior to the ever changing environmental conditions or to enable him to accomplish a task that needs complex cognitive abilities. Mental process is an activity on the part of the organism which is of a psychological nature or involved in the mind.

            “Cognitive development of concepts, Perception, language, memory, reasoning, thinking, imagination and intelligence”.

 Cognitive development:

                        Cognitive development refers to the ways children reason, develop language, solve problems and gain knowledge.

Cognitive development in Infancy – (Birth to 1 year)

·        Move their beads towards different color’s and changes in lighting.

·        Attracted to people’s voices.

·        They reach toward the sound of toys that make noise.

·        Infants anticipate being fed and may open their mouth when food is in sight.

·        They start to copy the expressions or movements of care givers.

·        They may able to focus on only one toy at a time.

·        Infants will imitate spoken words or sounds made by their caregivers.

·        They speak their first words.

·        Aware of their care givers name and react when it is called.

·        Begin to interact verbally with their caregivers.

Cognitive development in “Early Childhood” (Pre- School years 1 to 5 years):

Toddler stage ( 1 to 3 )

·        Understand the word “no”

·        Points to picture in books

·        Enjoys simple stories.

·        Speaks 50 or more words.

·        Verbalizes toilet needs.

·        Points to body pards.

·        Gives full name when asked.

·        Recognizes familiar people at 6 meters.

·        Matches two or three primary Colours.

Pre – School Stage :

·        Copy a circle and across

·        Use Scissors, Colour within the borders.

·        Write some letters and draw a person with body parts.

·        Building with small blocks.

·        Playing a board game.

·        Matches two or three primary colours

·        Knows time of day for basic activities.

·        Mathes symbols, letters, and numbers.

·        Imitates adult speech.

·        Ask questions likr what? why? and How?.

·        Form letters and writers own name.

Middle childhood – School Age (6-12 years):

            Childs world expands outward from the familyas relationships are formed with friends, teachers, Corogivers and  others. Because their experiences are expanding many factors can alter children’s actions and impact how they learn to get along.

·        Name all colors

·        Identifies similarities and differences among pictures.

·        Matches words.

·        Uses simple measurement.

·        Speaks fluently.

·        Understands cause-effects relationships.

·        Learns to solve addition and subtraction combinations.

·        Shows various enjoyment of reading.

·        Prefers silent reading.

·        Likes to read for fails and information.

·        participation in discussion of social and world problems.

·        Enjoys memorizing.

Adolescence (13 – 18):

            Psychologically mattured:

·        Through formal operational thinking adolesent can deal with a problem.

·        Developing ability to their abstractly.

·        Becoming more globally aware.

·        Choices relating future education and careers being thought about.

·        Fluied in intelligence improws until 30 s then declines slowly afterwards.

Conclusion:

            The kind discussion held in the family the methods of teaching, availability of good reading material, attitudes of teachers and school dicipline ets. affest cognitive development. There is a strong relation between physical growth and intellectual development. The cognitive development process implies the progressive changes in the mental process which go on from birth to death. Mental process is an activity on the part of the organism which is of a psychological nature or involved in the mind.

            “Cognitive development involves various aspects such as development of concepts, Perception, language, memory, reasoning, thinking, imagination and intelligence”.