Six Questions - Essay Example

As soon as they are delivered, infants start learning about the usage of their senses so as to explore the world in which they live. Most newborns can distinguish the volume and the pitch of the sound, they can differentiate colors and distinguish their brightness, and they also start to anticipate moments such as suckling at the sight of a nipple. Historically, the cognitive development of babies has been analyzed in different ways (Bekman, 2009). The most ancient is through undertaking intelligence tests. This test determines the mental age of a child according to which scores are determined by the knowledge compared to the age which the child possesses.

In dealing with the cognitive development stage, various caregiver practices are essential for any developing human. As of 2004, it is widely accepted that a Child's intellectual ability is determined by various factors that as heredity and environment. Although a child’s genetic inheritance can’t be changed, caregivers can enhance their child’s cognitive development through various environmental factors. They can provide stimulating learning materials and experiences from an early age, they can read and talk with their children and help the kids explore the world around them. As the child matures, caregivers can challenge and support their talents. Although a supporting environment in early child development is advantageous to the child, it can be destructive if a supportive environment is given at some later stages in the child's cognitive development (Bekman, 2009). In contrast to the prior disruptions in physical developments, which are often irreversible. If by the age of three, a child shows slow cognitive development contrary to his/her peers, the caregiver should call a doctor. This is when at that age the child doesn’t understand simple directions or is perplexed when requested to do something.

My development as an infant did not experience many problems am informed that I   suckle up until I reached the age of two years I was very much playful in my childhood though it was pulled back at times by asthmatic attacks I got and was subjected to medication and with time the condition became mild (Papalia & Olds, 2008). Nevertheless, my childhood didn’t have a lot of complications.

Question 2

Genie's isolation meant that she couldn’t communicate with anyone. This played much to her disadvantage since the language development of any individual depends on what you hear. The children who were not isolated had grown enormously due to their interaction with their caregivers and their peers which enabled them to be able to perceive and understand anything. Genie's isolation leads to her missing a sensitive stage of language development. Although she could learn with time, there will still be a big problem in her communication (Skinner & Vaughan, 2003).

Extended family is a great addition to any child’s development. In my early childhood days, the family was a source of comfort since my mother was working and the presence of my grandmother helped in my upbringing. Today, extended families are seen as a burden due to the increased cost of living contrary to my childhood days when they were a source of joy.

Question 3

Billy, who is 9 years of age, is at the stage that Kohlberg described as stage one of pre-conventional thinking which is driven by obedience and punishment may have been very much interested in the beautiful bike. The fact that no one was around the parking area may have prompted him to take the bike, but due to a previous experience in which he might have been warned about taking other peoples’ property, he will decide not to take the unlocked bike due to the fear of punishment. Although what is going through his mind is that he can easily have the bike he will choose not to take it due to the fear of its consequences (Bekman, 2009).

Question 4

Adolescence started taking its course at the age of 12. most of my peers started becoming very self-conscious, sensitive, and worried about the body changes that they developed. We started making painful comparisons with our peers. Girls were so anxious about the beginning of their menstruation and boys didn’t know about their nocturnal emissions. We started pulling away from our parents and friends became more important (Papalia & Olds, 2008). These adolescent patterns that we have learned were very much evident among us. We pulled away from our parents and our identity became of more importance.

Question 5

Societal changes today have led to changes in initiation rites into adulthood. Young adults today do not hold much importance to initiation as in the past when initiation marked a very important transition time the youths into adulthood, today, initiation is just carried out like a routine and it has really lost its bearing in society (Kohlberg, 2001).

Question 6

Old age comes with a lot of difficulties. An aging person is faced with a lot of life crises. Assuming that I was in that age bracket, one crisis I would face is that I would be economically unproductive. This means that I would be unable to provide for myself and the family would manage this by enrolling in a good pension scheme that would cater to my financial needs.

Old age comes with ill health and the need for Medicare is unavoidable would ensure that I am insured and well covered in the event of illness so as to avoid unnecessary burden to caregivers and other family members (Henry, 2004).