Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
¶ … Procsesing Theory
Cognitive development
Cognitive development: Information processing theory
Information processing theory might view the human mind as a kind of 'computer' but even this construct allows that the cognitive development stage of the individual can affect how the brain processes information. In contrast to Piaget's theory of development which was derived by studying a relatively narrow range of subjects, information processing theory is more expansive (which is why some people resist calling it a theory at all) and instead uses experimental evidence about the brain and functions such as memory. But the nature of the 'hardware' of the brain will affect perceptions (input) and thus output (responses) will also be affected by developmental stages (Miller 2002: 246).
When a child perceives information for the first time, that information can then be transformed, manipulated, and used in different ways. Information processing theorists study how this 'data' is deployed (Miller 2002: 246). Like Piaget and previous developmental theorists, they often ask "how children of given ages have come as far as they have and why they have not gone further" until the brain exhibits further development...
However, it should be noted that stages of development as they relate to age are not the only concern of information processing theorists: instead of only focusing on children, information processing theorists also are interested in different ways adults perceive and take in information about the world around them. In fact, it has been called the first major revolution in the study of how adults see the world, not just children.
Two major concepts about human development influenced information processing theorists: the first was the development of computers, or machines which seemed to simulate human processing, even though they were not recognizably human. The second was the influence of linguistic theorists which illustrated that merely studying how humans processed nonsense syllables was not enough to understand the input/output model of language. The linguistic theorist Noam Chomsky proposed that the "essence of language is a set of underlying abstract rules that generate sentences" (Miller 2002: 269). Gradually, human beings acquire these rules as infants but the human brain seems hard-wired to excel at such information processing and the capacity to be creative with language changes and evolves with age. This makes…
References
Miller, P. (2002). Theories of developmental psychology. (5th Ed). Worth Publishing.
Cognitive Development may appear to be a unified discipline or organic cooperation among several disciplines; however, the research shows chasms between fields devoted to the study of human development. The four reviewed articles show differing approaches to developmental studies, with varying degrees of effectiveness. The level of effectiveness appears to hinge on the scholar's willingness to use a generous number of approaches to the analysis of human development. Harris, J.L., Brownell,
Cognitive, Social, And Emotional Developmental Theories Understanding the concept of child development is critical when the need to appreciate human interaction is required. This is because childhood memories and environments tend to affect their cognitive, social, and emotional development. In fact, children from different backgrounds tend to depict different adulthood behaviors unlike those with shared experiences. For instance, children born and raised in violent homes may become violent in their adulthood
____Age Characteristic Infant 0-2 years Affiliation Early Childhood (2-7 years) Play Middle Childhood (7-12 years) Learning Adolescence (12-19 years) Peer Adulthood Work Source: Thomas (2008) III. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PIAGET and VYGOTSKY According to Dr. Michael Thomas in the work entitled: "Cognitive Language and Development" while Piaget was reliant upon the clinical method of using questions that probed and uncovered the understanding of children, Vygotsky was concerned "with historical and social aspects of human behavior that make human nature unique."
Scientific inquiry is encouraged, too. "Children are actively involved in formulating hypotheses, designing experiments, collecting and organizing data and drawing their own conclusions." Even though children at the pre-operational stage are egocentric and view the world as if it were solely their own, they still probe for answers and explanations about what they smell, hear, taste, touch, and see. Scientific activities also allow the children to witness cause and effect
Their research again points to superior cognitive skills in children -- this time in the mathematical realm. However, their research only targeted a small sample of children from the same cultural background. I would like to extend to a cross-cultural sample from actual different countries. If my research supports that of Levine and Huttenlocher, as I predict it to be ramifications include the fact that differences in mathematical ability
This will present a break from the norm set by most researchers who concentrate on studying the relationship between a child's ability and development, and the actions and environment surrounding the child. For instance, the study conducted by Berger and Adolph just considers how changing the size of the bridge makes a child to adopt a different strategy (using the handrail) in crossing the bridge but does not asses