Cognitive development is concerned with how thinking processes flow from childhood through adolescence to adulthood by involving mental processes such as remembrance, problem solving, and decision-making. It therefore focuses on how people perceive, think, and evaluate their world by invoking the integration of genetic and learned factors.
Hence, cognitive development mainly concentrates on “areas of information processing, intelligence, reasoning, language development, and memory” (Kendler, 1995, p.164). In essence, cognitive development theory reveals how people think and how thinking changes over time.
The basic premises of cognitive development theory
The premises of cognitive development theory largely allow future investigation to amplify, specify, and modify them according to data trends. These premises frame the theory in a way that it addresses the structure, working, and progress of the system that governs discrimination learning.
Primarily, the theory is based on observable behaviors and indirectly defined theoretical constructs. These constructs assume that psychological and neurological theorizing about cognitive development will gradually coalesce (Kendler, 1995). The premises take form of two different approaches that have been developed over the years.
The first approach postulates that thinking is a universal sequence of stages, while the second approach postulates that people process information in a similar manner computers do (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2008, p.13). One of the best-known examples of the first approach is Piaget’s theory of development that explains how children construct their knowledge, and how the format of their knowledge changes over time.
The second approach is exemplified by Information processing theory that focuses on how computers work to explain thinking and its development through childhood and adolescence.
The cognitive development theory has application in various areas such as works of Aaron Beck and Albert Ellis with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), both being very popular quick assessments of an individual’s functioning (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2008).
Discussion of Piaget Theory and Vygotsky Theory on Intelligence Development
The next part of this paper will be a discussion of the works of Piaget and Vygotsky, including comparison and contrast of their views on various aspects of cognitive development theory.
Jean Piaget was one of the most influential developmental psychologists of the 20th century, who believed that children naturally make sense of their world.
Lev Vygotsky, a Russian psychologist, was one of the first theorists to emphasize that children’s thinking develops through influence of the socio-cultural context in which children grow up rather than developing in a void. Piaget observed children’s past and potential interaction with their environment as being determined by their schemas, which are modified by the processes of assimilation and accommodation.
According to Kail & Cavanaugh (2008), assimilation may be described as a process that allows a child to add “new information by incorporating it into an existing schema.” For Piaget, enhancing a balance or truce between assimilation and accommodation in the schemas definitely leads to cognitive development.
This unlike Vygotsky, whose view is that cognitive growth occurs in a socio-cultural context that influences the form it takes, for instance, a child’s most remarkable cognitive skills are shaped by social interactions with parents, teachers, and other competent partners (Shaffer & Kipp, 2009).
Thus, cognitive development is more of an apprenticeship in which children develop through working with skilled adult assistants. Both Piaget and Vygotsky held the view that children’s thinking becomes more complex as they develop, highlighting that this change is influenced by the more complex knowledge that children construct from the more complex thinking.
Stages of development in both theories
Both theorists explain cognitive development in four distinct stages, but each of them explains these stages in different aspects and perspectives. According to Piaget, cognitive development takes place in “four distinct, universal stages, each characterized by increasingly sophisticated and abstract levels of thought” (Kendler, 1995).
These stages include sensorimotor stage (infancy) that begins from birth to 2 years and is characterized infant’s knowledge being demonstrated in six sub-stages through sensory and motor skills. The second stage is pre-operational stage (2 to 6 years) during which a child learns how to use symbols such as words and numbers to represent various aspects of the world but relates to the world only through his or her perspective.
Additionally, “concrete operational stage is characterized by seven types of conservation,” with “intelligence being demonstrated through logical and systematical manipulation of symbols related to concrete objects” (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2008).
In this third stage, operational thinking develops while the egocentric thinking diminishes. Lastly, formal operational stage, which occurs in late stages of human development or old age, involves “logical use of symbols related to abstract concepts” signifying a more complex and mature way of thinking (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2008).
A departure from Piaget, Vygotsky proposed that we should evaluate development from perspective of four interrelated levels in interaction with children’s environment. These stages include ontogenetic development, which refers to development of the individual over his or her lifetime.
Secondly, Microgenetic development refers to changes that occur over brief periods such as minutes, a few days, or seconds. In addition, Phylogenetic development refers to changes over evolutionally time. Lastly, sociohistorical development refers to changes that have occurred in one’s culture and the values, norms, and technology, such as a history has generated (Shaffer & Kipp, 2009).
Classroom Application of Both Theorists’ Views
Both theorists’ views can find classroom application in trying to explain educational process. For Piaget, children learn because naturally, all children want to understand their world. According to Piaget, early children’s life up to adolescence stage presents them with an urge to explore and try to “understand the workings of both the physical and the social world” (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2008).
Whereas, Vygotsky would explain education as being shaped by cultural transmission, since the fundamental aim of all societies is to impart on their children, the basic cultural values, and skills. For example, most parents in western nations want their children to do well in their studies and obtain a college degree, as this may lead to a good job.
However, parents in African countries such as Mali want their children to learn activities such as farming, herding animals, hunting, and gathering of food, as these skills may enhance their survival in their environment. Thus, each culture provides its children with tools of intellectual adaptation that permit them to use their basic mental functions more adaptively (Shaffer & Kipp, 2009).
Piaget theory would be limited in explaining academic excellence, since it views education as a natural process, while Vygotsky would explains that as a product of cultural environment that influences a student to excel. Educationally, Piaget provided an accurate overview of how children of different ages think and asked crucial questions that drew literally, thousands of scholars to the study of cognitive development.
According to Vygotsky, children are active participants in their education, with teachers in Vygotsky’s classroom favoring a guided participation, in which they structure learning activity, as well as guiding, monitoring, and promoting cooperative learning process.
Conclusion
Piaget’s theory would be limited in explaining academic excellence, since it views education as a natural process, while Vygotsky would explain that as a product of cultural environment that influences a student to excel.
Educationally, Piaget provided an accurate overview of how children of different ages think, and asked crucial questions that drew literally, thousands of scholars to the study of cognitive development. In essence, these theories laid grounds for other developmental theorists to further their views or critique them, leading to other cognitive development theories.
References
Kail, R.V. & Cavanaugh, J.C. (2008). Human Development: A Life-Span View. OH: Cengage Learning.
Kendler, T.S. (1995). Levels of cognitive development. NJ: Routledge.
Shaffer, D.R. & Kipp, K. (2009). Developmental Psychology: Childhood and Adolescence. Eighth edition. OH: Cengage Learning.