Promoting Cognitive Development - Research Paper Example

Promoting Cognitive Development Number Introduction Cognitive development refers to the growth process and the adjustment in intellectual capacities like thinking and reasoning. It comprises acquiring and consolidating knowledge. Children get language, social-emotional perceptual and motor experiences and abilities from cognitive development. There are several theorists who are linked with the child development theories. Erikson, Piaget, Skinner, Maslow and Reggio are the six most influential theorists of the early childhood education (Saracho & Spodek, 2005). All these theories are different. However, they offer a comprehensive understanding of the physical, emotional development and cognitive of children. This paper looks at Piaget, Erickson, Skinner and Vygotsky theories, their similarities and differences and how they apply to childhood development. Discussion One of the most influential figures in the theories of child development is Erik Erickson. Having been highly been influenced by the cultural anthropologists, he saw social experience and culture as the main factors that impact development. He proposed that there four stages of psychological and social development that apply to children. The first stage, which occurs between birth and 18 months, is trust and mistrust, the second one is Autonomy versus Doubt at 18 months to three years, the third stage is initiative versus Guilt which is between 3 to 6 years and the forth stage is Industry versus inferiority which happens at age 6 to 12 years. Jean Piaget proposed the theory of cognitive learning. This theory holds that children create first hand knowledge from their own experience. He does not agree with the suggestion that children are small adults or empty vessels and agrees that children learn by active experiences. Piaget view of development is that it is a process of adaptation where children have interactions and form the right system for those interactions (Saracho & Spodek, 2005). According to Piaget theory, there are three kinds of knowledge, loco-mathematical, physical and social conventional knowledge. These kinds of knowledge are learned in ways that are diverse however all are learned by interactions and experiences. Piaget however, thought that biology had an important part in cognitive development. According to him there are four stages of cognitive development. These are Sensory-motor, which is between birth and 2 years, Preoperational, which is between 2 to 7 years, Concrete Operational, which is between 7 to 11 years and formal operations, which is between 11 years to adulthood. Lev Vygotsky suggested the social-cultural theory of development. This theory proposes that children learn from social interaction in a cultural context. The main part of this theory is that what children learn is powerful impacted by the cultural context that they are brought up in. Vygotsky viewed development as a process that is continuous that is driven by the caregivers. From the age of 2 years to 5 years the process of development is mostly impacted by what is perceived by the children and how they respond to it (Saracho & Spodek, 2005). An important part of the theory of Vygotsky is the thought of Proximal Development (ZPD), that is, the “distance between the actual development level an individual has achieved and the level of the potential development he could achieve with the guidance of an adult or through collaboration with other children” (Crain, 2000). Comprehending the ZPD of an infant is vital as it allows caregivers and teachers to scaffold correctly so as to help children realize their full potential. Self-control and personal speech are also vital elements this theory. Vygotsky theorized that children should have these skills so as to be successful. If they are able to master the skills, they can be able to show self-discipline and enhance their executive function. Another theory applied in understanding childhood development is the behavior learning theory. According to this theory, learning is a change in behavior that is managed by the outcomes which can either be positive or negative, that ensue a behavior” (Crain, 2000). A major part of this theory is the operant conditioning that was developed by BF Skinner in the middle of 1900s. The operant conditioning theory is the notion that pleasant or unpleasant consequences can be applied to manage behavior. One of the main element of the behaviorist theory is that when behaviors are rewarded, they individual repeats them, but if they are punished or ignored, they are stopped or decreased. For instance, when child utters some words the first time and the same words are repeated the sounds of the child so as to reinforce the behavior so that the child is able to try and reproduce the sound (Saracho & Spodek, 2005). Caregivers or teachers can apply positive reinforcement to promote positive behaviors and negative reinforcement so as to discourage negative behavior. This theory emphasize on the process of the manner in which language is attained. The stress is on the surrounding factors of imitation learning and conditioning. The entire work of these theorists offers a comprehensive understanding of the existing thinking on early childhood development. However, there are a number of differences among them. Erickson and Piaget viewed development in terms of stages even though there is variance in their stages. Piaget and Vygotsky emphasize on the importance of children learning by experience and interactions; but their interpretations are different. Contrasting Piaget, Vygotsky do not view children as own discoverers of knowledge but as those that learn in the social interactions that entail communication (Crain, 2000). He thus emphasizes the part of language in developing the thinking process. The same as Piaget, he views children as active allies in their own learning in the social interactions that comprise communicating. Therefore, he stresses the importance of development of language, teaching and learning to a child’s cognitive development. Vygotsky and Erikson view cultural interaction through the context of culture but have a diverse view of cognitive development. In both the behavior theory and Vygotsky theory pay attention on children getting skills of self-control that they require in order to be successful; however, the approach of the two theories is different (Saracho & Spodek, 2005). Applying Erickson theory, the Jasmine parents would be advised that they need to build a sense of trust in the world of their child. They ought to meet the emotional and physical needs of the child since if they fail to do so the child will develop the attitude that the world is an untrustworthy place. This is according to what Erickson believes is the key task in the first stage of development in childhood. According to the theory of Piaget, Jasmine falls in the sensory-motor phase. At this stage she is using her physical skills and senses to explore the world and develop her cognitive understanding (Crain, 2000). Thus, the parents would be advised to offer an environment that is stimulating for her to explore. In applying Vygotsky theory, language would be stressed to the parents so as to develop the thinking of Jasmine. In language, teaching and learning the cognitive development of Jasmine will be achieved (Saracho & Spodek, 2005). In using skinner’s theory, reinforcements and punishments will be stressed so as to shape Jasmine’s behavior. The reinforcement will promote behavior while punishments are for stopping negative behavior. At this stage of development it is the family that has the biggest role in cognitive development of Jasmine. The family ought to provide for the physical and emotional needs of the child. They should build a positive image of the world to the child and make her trust the people around her. The family and society should help Jasmine to explore her environment so that she can build her cognitive understanding. This includes to talking to her so that she can develop language skills. At this stage also, Jasmine can be taught by both family and society some of the positive and negative behavior (Saracho & Spodek, 2005). Jasmine will draw on motor, language and perceptual abilities and experiences for her cognitive abilities. She will be attuned to actions, objects and the physical surroundings. She will however, mostly be familiar to individuals. Conclusion It is important for professionals in early childhood to realize the role of theories in defining and stage setting for the function of a healthy cognitive functioning of children. The above theories help in improving the understanding of child development. Combining the theories is vital in gaining greater understanding of children. However, it can be observed that these theories do not perceive children as individuals. Their presentation is based on generalization on the children’s development, but it is vital that children be viewed as individuals who take development on individual time line. For instance, it may be impossible for some children to perform some things that were thought possible by Piaget, and some may take longer than others. Behaviorism is a crucial theory in promotion of positive behavior in children. However, children also need to have self-control skills that are proposed by Vygotsky so as to be successful. Together, all these theories offer a comprehensive understanding of the area of early childhood development. It is vital that all these theories be taken and perceived at their real life application, to view them as a whole and not in parts and to go on with exploration in the area of early childhood education. References Crain, W. C. (2000). Theories of development: Concepts and applications. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall. Saracho, O. N., & Spodek, B. (2005). Childrens Play and Early Childhood Education: Insights from History and Theory. Journal of Education, 177, 3, 129-48. Read More