After birth, human beings undergo various stages that characterise development from one stage of life to another. Such developmental stages herald a myriad of changes in various faculties of human existence (Lohman & Lakin, 2009). A person experiences changes in emotional, physical, and cognitive spheres of development.
Such developments present changes that affect physical and behavioural spheres of human existence. The chronology of such changes manifests through various stages of development. Failure to achieve consistency in such development presents challenges that undermine developmental regime of a person (Lohman & Lakin, 2009).
This research undertaking seeks to underscore cognitive development of children between the ages of eleven and twelve years. Through this essay, we shall examine relevant character traits that manifest during this age bracket with regard to cognitive development. This essay shall also examine manifest traits that are consistent with children in the above age bracket.
Cognitive development of eleven and twelve-year-old children manifest in different ways. This developmental stage marks a defining moment for children in terms of how they view and understand the world around them. At the age of eleven, children develop and foster an increase in attention and concentration (Lohman & Lakin, 2009).
They are more attentive to detail and strive to decipher the environment around them. This increases their ability to undertake duties and tasks that relate to important and critical matters around them. At this stage, children develop an innate desire for success and excellence in various undertakings. This development trait offers a chance to explore various activities that appeal to them. At this stage, children develop strong beliefs and convictions regarding various pertinent issues in society.
They develop and foster their ultimate stand and opinion with regard to various issues around them. At this stage, children begin to decipher and question the inherent motive in the manifest behavioural traits of those around them. This trait enhances their understanding and relationship with people around them (Lohman & Lakin, 2009).
At the age of twelve, children acquire ability to develop a dichotomy of information and ultimately derive sense from it. At this stage, children develop critical learning skills that enhance ability to decipher and grasp information. Children also have ability to develop a summary of information from a book (Marotz & Allen, 2013). They have ability to paraphrase information from a book and present it in unique words.
Children also develop ability to detect and correct grammatical errors and logical inconsistencies. They also have ability to arrange ideas in a logical sequence. This stage is instrumental in the development regime of such children. They develop a keen interest in acquisition of knowledge, especially on matters that arouse their interest (Marotz & Allen, 2013).
At this stage, children preoccupy with study of literature that contain adult material. They develop a keen interest in adult literature as they covertly transit from childhood to adulthood. Studying such literature offers them a sense of satisfaction and achievement as they struggle to emulate parents and other seniors around them.
At this stage, children may exhibit a recurrent need for distance and autonomy (Marotz & Allen, 2013). Parents and caregivers should accord them the requisite room for personal development. This supports and enhances the inherent need for actualization and development of cognitive skills that define their existence. During this stage of development, children acquire character traits that determine their development in other stages of development (Marotz & Allen, 2013).
References
Lohman, D. F., & Lakin, J. M. (2009). Consistencies in Sex Differences on the
Cognitive Abilities Test across Countries, Grades, Test forms, and Cohorts. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 79(2), 389-407.
Marotz, L. R., & Allen, K. E. (2013). Developmental Profiles: Pre-Birth through
Adolescence. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.