Cognitive Development and Language

Cognitive Development of Infants

Piaget's sensorimotor model provides the stage of cognitive human development showing that human experience consists of four stages of mental or cognitive starting from the first day a child is born to the adulthood. The first stage of human development is referred as the sensorimotor stage that starts at birth and end when a child is 24 months old. After the age of 24 months, a child moves to the operational stage starts when a child is 2 years old through the age of 7. A child moves into the final stage of behavioral and cognitive development at the age of adolescence that spans through adulthood. The objective of this study is to discuss the "six stages of Piaget's sensorimotor development." (Shaffer, & Kipp, 2010 p 253).

Piaget's sensorimotor Development

Piaget identifies the first two years of a child as the "sensorimotor stage of development." (Shaffer, & Kipp, 2010 p 253). However, the following are six sub-stages of a child development:

1. Simple reflexes

2. primary circular reactions and first habits

3. Secondary circular reactions

4. A coordination of infant's secondary circular reactions

5. Curiosity, novelty and tertiary circular reactions, and

6. Internalization of schemes

Piaget points out that in the first month of a child's birth, a child displays actions through reflexive behaviors and coordinating sensation. At this stage, the infant develops behaviors, which are the absence of his reflexive stimuli. For example, sucking by simply seeing a bottle. This is an evidence that a child is structuring experience and initiating an acting in the first month of his life. Although, the infant is not able to differentiate himself from other objects.

In the sub-stage between 1 and 4 months, infants develop first habits where the reflexes are more coordinated and refined. Piaget argues that a child is able to acquire feeling at this stage. The primary circular reaction of the child is based on an attempt to reproduce pleasurable or interesting event, which occurs by chance. Moreover, an infant is able to understand his movement in relations with other objects.

At sub-stage of between 4 and 8 months, infants become a focus and object-oriented of the world trying to move beyond preoccupation coupled with self-sensorimotor interactions. At this stage, infants attempt to imitate physical gestures and simple actions of others. Piaget points out that a child is showing an observable intelligent with reference to the environment.

At the age of 8 through 12 months, several changes occur in child's behaviors that include coordination of intentionality and schemes. Moreover, infants combine previously learned behaviors into a coordinated way. A child also learns to demonstrate an intention to achieve a goal at this stage.

The fifth sub-stage of infants is between 12 and 15 months with characteristics of behaviors that are intentional with regards to interaction with objects. In another world, a young child executes an experimental or intentional method to achieve his goal. Piaget points out, infants display a tertiary circular reaction where they become intrigued with properties of various objects. Moreover, infants explore new possibilities with different objects.

The final stage of Piaget's sensorimotor model shows that a young child aged between 18 and 24 months is able to solve problems in an analogy way. Typically, this is a stage where inventions are carried out by a trial and error. Moreover, a child is able to solve a problem through a mental ability, and able to search an object methodically rather using the trial and error.

Circular Reactions and Feedback Loops

Feedback loops and circular reactions refer to the process of where infants rediscover a coordination through repetition. Moreover, infants develop a new coordination through reflexes. In the circular reaction, infants show responses to their body that include the stage of reflexes such as sucking, and stage of the first habit that includes grabbing.

Piaget Mistakes about Infant Development

Piaget makes a mistake with regard to infant development because his theory ignores infant's cognitive skills assigned to their right hemisphere at the cerebral cortex. Moreover, Piaget ignores the holistic use of information that relies on hunches.

Schema

Schema is a concept that Piaget uses to describe a mental and cognitive structure that makes individuals to intellectually organize and adapt to the environment. At this stage, young children become methodically in their interactions and adaptation towards the environment. The interaction with the environment and adaptation with the objects start from a simple schema and develops into the complex schema. Thus, a schema is a powerful tool that assists infant to solve a problem rapidly and accurately.

Cognitive Information-processing Theory

The theory of cognitive information processing is suitable to explain how a complex behavior develops in an individual. The theory views man as an active, self-directing and striving organism. Typically, memory abilities, and categorization have contributed to an understanding of infants' cognitive development where children acquire mental structure by forming concepts, and communicate these concepts using specific language. A cognitive operation involves the formation of concept to the judgment which involves solving problems through memory abilities, avoidance, and categorization.