Cognitive Development

Cognitive development has to do with the way humans understand and experience the world

and deals with issues like memory, thinking and decision-making and concept comprehension.

During the prenatal period, cognitive development is highly involved in physical

development as the primary tool for cognition; the brain is still being developed. During the

infant stage and early childhood, things like speaking, comprehension and object recognition

occur. Thoughts about the world are simple, and judgments are made in an either/or ideas.

Middle childhood brings the beginning of concrete and logical thinking, and adolescence

brings about a phase where cognitive judgments are often overruled by feelings and impulses

because of the body's rapidly changing physical and biological climate.

Young adulthood is the human cognitive greatest time of development, as the capacity for

quick and accurate memory, thought processing and information gathering function at the

highest levels. Notions of the world, judgment and morals become more complicated and

complex. During adulthood, humans get better at solving problems, although they begin to

experience some signs of slow down with the speed of processing and recall. The older years

signifies the continued breakdown of cognitive abilities.

There Are Three Basic Components To Piaget's Cognitive Theory:

Schemas

(building blocks of knowledge)

Processes that enable the transition from one stage to another (equilibrium, assimilation and

accommodation)

Stages of Development:

Sensorimotor, this stage lasts from birth to age two and it is centered on trying to make sense of

the world.

Preoperational, this stage lasts from age two to age seven and this stage they are using symbols

in playing and other activities. They are role playing in this stage, like using a broom for a horse

or their first finger and thumb for a gun.

Concrete Operational, This stage begins at age seven and goes to approximately age eleven.