Cognitive Development from Childhood through Adolescence

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Rough draft: Cognitive Development from Childhood Through Adolescence

Shalonte Cross

Southern New Hampshire University

PSY 322: Adolescent Development

Professor Emily Garcia

April 18, 2024

Rough draft: Cognitive Development from Childhood Through Adolescence

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Introduction

My deep fascination with how our thinking and problem-solving skills change throughout

the years led me to focus my final paper on the subject of cognitive development from infancy

through adolescence. Seeing my younger relatives go through the many phases of their education

piqued my attention. I began to wonder what was behind the dramatic changes in their reasoning

skills and emotional understanding that I saw as they moved from elementary to middle school.

The urge to comprehend the fundamental elements that impact the evolution of cognition is

what drives me. How much of an impact does the environment have on these shifts, or does biology

play a larger role? When a kid goes through various stages of development, how do they affect their

social and intellectual lives? In my opinion, they are not merely theoretical concerns; they get to the

heart of the matter (Goldstone, et al. 2020). It is my deepest desire to learn how my formative years

impacted my present-day emotional intelligence and cognitive capacities.

Everyone from teachers and parents to psychiatrists and even lawmakers should pay close

attention to this issue. We can better adapt teaching methods to the stages of cognitive development

in children and adolescents if we have a better grasp of how the brain grows and changes. In the

long run, this can result in better learning techniques, healthier psychological development, and

completer people. Having this information is vital for designing classrooms that are conducive to

learning and can change to meet the evolving cognitive demands of students.

Learning more about this subject may also shed light on the difficulties some people have,

such as learning impairments or problems with social integration, laying the groundwork for

solutions that are more compassionate and helpful. Both our comprehension of human development

and our capacity to create circumstances that lead to more successful and meaningful lives are

enhanced by this understanding.

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Cognitive Development

The cognitive domain is one of numerous that contribute to the stages of growth from

childhood into adolescence, and it is debatably the most vital. Cognitive growth is well-defined as

the structure of thought procedures comprising memorizing, decision-making, and problem-solving

from childhood over adolescence to maturity. It is a course by which an individual sees, thinks, and

gets a sympathetic of the globe through the communication and incorporation of hereditary and

educated variables. How children's brains develop has far-reaching impacts on their personal,

societal, and social development (Nagata, et al. 2022). A child's cognitive development from infancy

to puberty greatly influences that development into emerging adulthood. Language encourages

cognitive improvement; yet, cognitive capability is inclined by the degree of linguistic complexity.

The volume to communicate positively through language is a skill that aids enhance cognitive

volumes. Childhood cognitive growth is important since it lays the basis for a teenager's or

adolescent's upcoming reasoning aptitudes, which in turn shape the child's involvements throughout

adolescence, developing maturity, and adulthood.

Cognitive growth is impacted by a child's information base, which in turn is impacted by the

child's setting, learning style, and genetics. A child's acquisition of the aforesaid background

knowledge influences their information handling, categorization, problem-solving, language, and

literacy skills. The physical settings of children's homes, daycares, and schoolrooms, as well as the

kinds of communications they experience with adults and peers, impact teenagers' learning styles

and other areas of cognitive development, albeit these factors can differ between cultures. Teachers

and parents/caregivers must keep an eye on teenagers to see how they involve with their

surroundings, how dedicated and persistent they are with tasks, how well they solve difficulties, and

whether they are building helps that could lead to reading and skill knowledge in the upcoming.

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Since developmental psychologists have keen their careers to understanding how people's

sentiments, thoughts, and actions change throughout a lifetime, the area of developmental

psychology has advanced greatly. Developmental psychologists mainly study alters in three areas:

social and expressive growth, physical growth, and cognitive growth (Dick, et al. 2021). “Jean

Piaget and Lev Vygotsky” are two of the most well-known and consequential psychologists who

have premeditated how teenagers grow. Social alteration, conveying conducts, and play were among

the many topics that “Piaget and Vygotsky” investigated about cognitive development. The

significance of play and social alteration to the cognitive growth of adolescents and younger kids

has been better-understood thanks to the work of Piaget and Vygotsky. It will become clear as we go

in our study that a child's cognitive growth will thrive when it is encouraged through play, an

engaging environment, effective teaching techniques, and engaging experiences.

Influences of Jean Piaget on Cognitive Development

Jean Piaget's first academic interests were in philosophy and biology, but he eventually got

engrossed in studying how children digest information. Piaget was the first to theorize and clarify

the procedure of cognitive growth. According to Piaget's study, he found that younger kids' answers

were frequently qualitatively dissimilar from those of older kids. This suggests that younger

children's thinking differed from older children's because of the unique lens through which they

perceived the questions.

Piagets Theory of Cognitive Development

According to the viewpoint, Piaget created his theory of cognitive expansion that clarifies how

children reflect themselves to their environment. In the article written by Saul Mcleod titled ‘Jean

Piaget's theory and stages of cognitive development’, the author mentions the idea put forth by

Piaget that intelligence is not innate and immutable, rather it develops along the lines of stages

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highly predisposed by biological development and communication with the three different

surroundings. Piaget suggested that a kid's learning was a spontaneous process without the need of

incentives and he or she was adaptable to new settings. According to Piaget, flexibility and the

capacity to adopt to the world around us is what we perceive as an intelligent behavior.

After the Piaget's hypotheses were further detailed and scrutinized, even if his point of view

did not fully explain the abilities of a kid's growth, it is definitely important to take the idea into

account. In Piaget's opinion, intellectual development is just a necessary consequence of

flexibility. The degree to which one can change his or her environment to himself or his behaviors is

limited by his ability to represent the world in his mind and define his actions. According to Piaget's

supposition we are born with not just these reflexes but also behavioral systems that exist throughout

our lives. Infants' abilities to emulate their surroundings are determined by such reflexes which are

eventually substituted by created schemas.

The first step of the process, assimilation, is where we readjust our knowledge and mental models of

the world based on our current environment. The second and third step, namely, accommodation and

equilibration, are at work in this process too. During this stage, the humanization of pressure

involves an individual's past existing schema to be altered due to changes in the

environment. Moreover, the process of learning continues with the last phase of equilibration that

ends when the student has become skillful enough to re-establish balance.

Four Stages of Piagets Theory

Piaget projected a theory of cognitive growth that he called the four stages of maturation.

These stages begin in infancy with the Sensorimotor stage, endure through early childhood with the

Preoperational stage, elementary school over initial adolescence with the Concrete Operational

phase, and lastly maturity with the Formal Operational phase. Babies enter the world over their

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senses and elementary motor skills during the Sensorimotor phase, which begins in infancy and

continues until the child is around 2 years old. They start to form an understanding of themselves

and the world around them as they engage with it. One other thing that occurs during the

Sensorimotor phase is the accommodation procedure. This is when a child realizes that an object is

still there even when they can't see, feel, or hear it.

i. Sensorimotor Stage

Through the first two years of a kid's life, the Sensorimotor stage explains, with its six sub-

stages reproducing the child's rapidly evolving brain. The first sub-stage starts at birth and continues

for about one month. It is categorized by innate reactions, such as touching and sucking, which are

used to intermingle with the setting. During the second sub-stage, which begins at about four months

of age, the newborn repeats automatic conducts whenever they feel pleasure. As babies learn to

adjust to their surroundings, processes like assimilation and accommodation become more important

(Oogarah-Pratap, et al. 2020). Babies enter the third sub-stage of habit development at about five

months of age and continue until eight months of age. Babies at this stage are easily sidetracked by

their surroundings and lack the cognitive capacity to multitask, but they do find objects that appeal

to their innate intuition. For newborns, the fourth sub-stage which begins at about eight months and

continues until around twelve months is when they begin to understand the reality of things that are

invisible to the naked eye.

The baby is beginning to practice mental images of many objects at this stage, and it is at this

period that the baby starts to distinguish between items and related events. This makes this sub-stage

very important. Babies also start to act differently when they want a certain reaction. From about

twelve months to eighteen months of age, infants go into the fifth sub-stage, where they engage in

nearly identical behaviors. In the final sub-stage, which begins at 18 months and continues until 24

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months, infants begin to acquire symbolic cognition and employ their imagination. When a child

starts to apply what they've learned in their first two years of life to new settings, it's a sign that their

creativity is growing and that their behaviors are determined by intelligence rather than routine.

ii. Preoperational Stage

The Preoperational phase, which lasts until the age of seven, commences when the infant

begins to conceptualize reality in his or her mind. Children at this developmental stage cannot

perform cognitive operations, such as logical reasoning, idea separation, transformation, and

combination. Through adaptation, the infant gains knowledge of the environment and advances to

the subsequent (concrete) stage, where logical reasoning becomes feasible. Centration (inclination to

essence on a single feature of a given state at once), egocentrism (child's incapability to see things

from another individual's viewpoint), similar play (kids are often observed playing near other kids

but do not engage in play with them), symbolic representation, and pretend/representative play (kids

may produce a fantasy friend and act out characters as if they are that person they are not conversing

with) are the defining characteristics of this stage.

iii. Concrete Operational Stage

During the “Concrete Operational stage,” which lengths from seven to twelve years old, kids

start to think more theoretically, come up with more reasonable explanations for what they see, and

start to formulate hypotheses. Kids develop empathy and learn to put themselves in other people's

shoes, which helps them overcome egocentrism (MacQueeney, et al. 2022). Kids can figure things

out on their own, without resorting to violence. Along with becoming no longer the prisoner of the

temporary form of things, kids learn to multitask by mentally manipulating several physical objects

and forming long-term memories.

iv. Formal Operational Stage

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When a kid reaches the Formal Operational stage of cognitive development, they can make

logical decisions without the aid of physical things, which allows them to focus on hypothetical and

abstract thoughts. In addition, preteens and teenagers can deal with purely speculative possibilities.

This opens the door to new kinds of challenges, such as analyzing problems at a higher level by

considering all logical (and oftentimes fanciful) possibilities or dealing with difficulties involving

relationships that are purely hypothetical or abstract. At this point, egocentric thinking also starts to

creep back in. The ability to rationally portray abstract thoughts using symbols is a sign of

intelligence.

Effects of Lev Vygotsky on Cognitive Growth

There have been other influential individuals in the field of kid growth studies, such as Lev

Vygotsky, who followed in Jean Piaget's tracks. Vygotsky studied kids in classrooms since he was

interested in how they educated. Two kinds of conceptual learning stood out to him when

researching children in classrooms: the one, more regulated and formal, and the second, more

natural and unplanned (Taber, 2020). Vygotsky acknowledged the impact of genetics on a child's

growth. Vygotsky and other investigators have shown that a kid's biology, the quantity of social

contact they get, and their environments all play a role in their growth.

In Vygotsky's view, language development was vital in the process of cognitive

development. While Vygotsky did not deny the influence of biological and environmental variables

on children's development, he attributed the most weight to cultural aspects and social interactions.

Culture has an influence on cognitive growth, which causes kids' development to differ between

cultures, according to Vygotsky. Part of the motive for this may be traced back to Vygotsky's theory

that kids get information about the world around them through their social connections. As of this

strong belief, he devoted his research to studying the effects of kids' social interactions on their

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growth.

Vygotsky’s Theory of Constructivism

In difference to Piaget, Vygotsky did not lay out the distinct phases of growth; instead, he

strained in his Theory of Constructivism that the notion of growth as a continuous procedure is

central to social growth. Additionally, Vygotsky argues that sympathetic the growth of higher

psychological tasks depends on the linking between representative thinking and actual action.

Instead of assimilation happening at a certain developmental period, Vygotsky maintained that it

might be accomplished through education (Brau, 2020). Vygotsky argued that children's cognitive

development could not occur without adult supervision and instruction.

Additional Factors Contributing to Cognitive Development

Additional aspects that contribute to children's cognitive development include social

adaptation and externalizing habits. During puberty, the brain undergoes further development, which

manifests mostly in the maturation of social and cognitive abilities. Research has shown that social

adaptability and expressing behaviors are critical for kids' cognitive growth in the preschool years

and middle school, respectively. Having high-quality cognitive ability is associated with better

behavioral and social functioning, among other areas, according to the study.

Piaget and Vygotsky's Influences on Classroom Learning

Modern learning theories, such as constructivism and computer science, draw from the work

of both Piaget and Vygotsky. The foundation of constructivism is the idea that each student's

knowledge and worldview are actively formed by their own experiences in the classroom. In this

model, the learner's existing information serves as a scaffolding on which the new information is

constructed.

Two major instructional strategies that parents and teachers may use to measure the child's

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cognitive aptitudes are discovery knowledge and inspiring the child's evolving interests. Never use

things that are too stimulating or that may be too progressive for the kid's current level of

development (Khadidja, 2020). Teachers may motivate their students to learn through a range of

tangible experiences. Using manipulatives, participating in group play, etc., are all examples of the

kinds of tangible experiences described above.

Acquiring information and understanding of cognitive development from birth to

adolescence is incredibly crucial for me as a Para educator and prospective special education

teacher. Teachers greatly benefit from this data since it allows them to observe, analyze, and

evaluate learners' cognitive development in the classroom. To effectively convey new, abstract, or

difficult topics, teachers must not only comprehend the idea of cognitive growth, he or she must also

be capable to manage the difficult job of using language.

Cognitive Development from Childhood Through Adolescence

Future study and sympathetic of cognitive growth was laid down by “Jean Piaget's Theory of

Cognitive Growth,” which he proposed. The model comprises of “four stages: sensorimotor,

preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational.” It displays how a person's cognitive

growth develops through their life (Karcher, et al. 2022). Drawing on the work of “Jean Piaget, Lev

Vygotsky” shed light on the role that kids' social environments and cultural impacts have in their

cognitive growth.

We today know that social alteration and play are vital to kids' and adolescents' cognitive

growth thanks to the work of “Piaget and Vygotsky.” The findings from Vygotsky's studies show

that social change skills a child learned and his externalizing actions in middle childhood influence

his health and happiness in adolescence considerably. Piaget and Vigotsky heavily emphasizes on

the gravity of play, social flexibility and attention seeking behaviours on cognitive

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development. Provide a child with an engaging environment and activities, apply teaching

techniques and encourage playing, and the growth of the child's cognitive skills will be enhanced.

Conclusion

As we researched into the topic of cognitive growth from childhood into adolescence, we took

a deep dive into Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky, whose concepts become an abstract representing the

process through which the immature minds develop. The difficult relationship between the

biologically embedded maturation process and environmental interaction is explored through

Piaget’s cognitive stages which start from the sensorimotor phase and extends to the formal

operations. However, Vygotsky maintained that both social interaction and cultural factors had

significant role in molding cognitive development. In order to ensure a good cognitive development,

both of the researchers highlighted the importance of play, social adaptation, and externalization of

children's behaviors.

During the process of development, from birth to adolescence, there are crucial stages with

various changes (Almeida et al. 2021). Preoperational levels of development are thought to be

characterized by symbolic thinking and imaginary play, while sensorimotor development is

presented as an initial stage of sensory exploration leading to the formation of mental

representations over time. In the formal operational stage children learn to cope with the difficulties

of adolescence and the maturity process. This stage is characterised by the capability to think

abstractly and logically. This period occurs after the concrete operational stage.

Importantly, our research showed that cognitive growth has far-reaching effects on

educational policies and community health. Educators, parents, and legislators may better foster

young brains by customizing learning settings and support systems when they have a firm grasp of

the mechanics underlying cognitive development. We can help children reach their full cognitive

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potential and set them up for success in life by welcoming a variety of educational approaches,

promoting hands-on learning, and encouraging social involvement.

In addition, our investigation demonstrated the interdependence between mental maturation,

social adjustment, and psychological health. Learning disabilities and social integration issues are

best tackled with empathy and effectiveness when the complex relationship between cognitive

processes and socio-emotional variables is acknowledged. Cultivating resilient individuals who

flourish in an ever-evolving world is possible via holistic development, which covers cognitive,

social, and emotional components.

Lastly, research into cognitive development sheds light on the long road of personal

development and the possibilities that lie ahead (Andrews, et al. 2021). Piaget and Vygotsky's

notions help us comprehend how genetics, upbringing, and social influences all work together to

form kids' brains. With this information at our disposal, together, we set out on a mission to create

such inclusive environments that will stimulate the growth of a healthy brain, make people realize

their full potential and lay the foundation for a better future.

Annotated Bibliography

Demetriou, A., Kazi, S., Makris, N., & Spanoudis, G. (2020). Cognitive ability, cognitive self-

awareness, and school performance: From childhood to adolescence. Intelligence, 79,

101432.

The research is based on the study of cognitive abilities and their complicated relationship

with cognitive self-consciousness and academic performance though childhood and

adolescence. Employing longitudinal data, Demetriou, et al., (2020) examine these concepts

development, highlighting what they signify and the way they interrelate by creating a model of

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what they mean for educational outcomes. In its multifaceted approach, the authors enclose

objective and subjective components of performance and cognition in their research by using

cognitive evaluations and self-report measures.

The study gives significant understanding of how the cognitive skills and self-awareness can

be advantageous on academic growth by focusing on the developmental aspects from childhood to

adolescence. Development patterns and correlations as well as other factors that could be predictive

and significant can be explored with a longitudinal design.

The research added to our knowledge on the complex processes involved in intellectual feed

and self-awareness by the findings, which accentuate the role of cognitive abilities as well as

metacognitive competencies. The research reveals, therefore, what is needed by way of integrative

systems and ensures that in early childhood and adolescent, the learning process is completely taken

care of through interventions as well as the right policies that are meant not only to cover the

cognitive, but also the non-cognitive aspects as well.

Dick, A. S., Lopez, D. A., Watts, A. L., Heeringa, S., Reuter, C., Bartsch, H., ... & Thompson,

W. K. (2021). Meaningful associations in the adolescent brain cognitive development

study. NeuroImage, 239, 118262.

The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development project reported by Dick et al. (2021), in

Neuroimages, identified key connections in numerous subjects. The writers examine the complex

relationship between the environment, behaviors, brain anatomy and functions and brain imaging

techniques so as to learn about how teenagers develop. This study focuses on having a large-scale

and multi-site design to identify common patterns of brain-behavior associations, which depend on

many people from the ABCD study. The study aims to unravel fundamental changes which occur in

the brain of teenagers when they reach adolescence by investigating correlations between several

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neurocognitive assessments and demographic characteristics including socioeconomic position and

psychosocial elements.

This method uses more advanced statistical tools to provide precise data, as stated in Dick et al

(2021). discover remarkable connections and interactions in many fields, find out what governs their

emotional and cognitive development in young people. The research concludes that in order to

understand ecological influences and their internal interaction during brain maturation, we ought to

develop the developmental neuroscience. The comprehensive study of the teenage brain

development requires a holistic approach since it involves an enormous variety of biological,

psychological, and ecological factors that have complex relationships with each other. Educational

methods, public health programs, and interferences targeting healthy youth consequences can all

benefit from the results.

Andrews, J. L., Ahmed, S. P., & Blakemore, S. J. (2021). Navigating the social environment in

adolescence: The role of social brain development. Biological Psychiatry, 89(2), 109-118.

Andrews, Ahmed, and Blakemore (2021) discover the complex linking between social brain

development and teenage social behavior in their work available in Biological Psychiatry.

Investigation in developmental psychology and neuroimaging studies are used to examine how the

maturation of areas in the brain that are complicated in social cognition affects how youths navigate

their social surroundings.

The article highlights the status of adolescence as a serious time for social brain growth

when individuals are more receptive to social signals and the effect of their peers. Brain areas

comprising the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and temporoparietal junction are emphasized in

Andrews et al.'s debate of the neurobiological instruments behind social cognition.

By conducting a detailed analysis of existing investigation, the authors shed light on how

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changes in the social brain circuitry influence social behaviors showed by teenagers. These

behaviors encompass their interactions with peers, their ability to make social decisions, and their

vulnerability to social influence. Interventions addressing social issues and mental health concerns

during this formative time can be informed by this study, which adds to our knowledge of teenage

development by revealing the neurological underpinnings of social behavior.

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Pediatria, 40, e2020385.

Andrews, J. L., Ahmed, S. P., & Blakemore, S. J. (2021). Navigating the social environment in

adolescence: The role of social brain development. Biological Psychiatry, 89(2), 109-118.

Brau, B. (2020). Constructivism.

Dick, A. S., Lopez, D. A., Watts, A. L., Heeringa, S., Reuter, C., Bartsch, H., ... & Thompson, W.

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K. (2021). Meaningful associations in the adolescent brain cognitive development

study. NeuroImage, 239, 118262.

Goldstone, A., Javitz, H. S., Claudatos, S. A., Buysse, D. J., Hasler, B. P., de Zambotti, M., ... &

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Khadidja, K. (2020). Constructivist theories of Piaget and Vygotsky: Implications for pedagogical

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Mcleod, S. (2018). Jean Piaget’s theory and stages of cognitive development. T. tp: ByPass

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Nagata, J. M., Cortez, C. A., Cattle, C. J., Ganson, K. T., Iyer, P., Bibbins-Domingo, K., & Baker, F.

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