Intellectual development across the life stages Flashcards
Intellectual development
Intellectual and cognitive development refers to how individuals organise their ideas and make sense of the world in which they live.
There are five important aspects associated with intellectual development.
- Language development
- Problem solving
- Memory
- Moral development
- Abstract thoughts and creative thinking
The stages of intellectual development across the lifespan
Infancy and early childhood - stages of rapid intellectual development
Adolescence and early adulthood - development of logical thought, problem solving and memory recall skills
Middle adulthood - can think through problems and make sound judgements using life experiences
Later adulthood - changes in the brain can cause short-term memory decline and slower thought processes and reaction times
Intellectual and language skills in infancy and early childhood
The brain grows very rapidly during the first few years of life. There is a rapid growth in language and intellectual skills.
e.g. a 12-month-old says their first words, a two-year-old naming part of their body, a five-year-old constructing complex sentences.
The stages of language development
Around 3 months - begin to make babbling noises as they learn to control the muscles associated with speech.
Around 12 months - begin to imitate sounds made by carers e.g. ‘da da’, which develops into using single words.
Around 2 years - begin to make two-word sentences, begins to build their vocabulary.
Around 3 years - begin to make simple sentences e.g. ‘I want drink’, which develops into the ability to ask questions. Vocabulary grows very rapidly.
Around 4 years - begin to use clear sentences that can be understood by strangers, can be expected to make some mistakes with grammar.
5 years - can speak using full adult grammar. Vocabulary will continue to grow and formal grammar will continue to improve.
Encouraging language development
Infants:
- blow bubbles
- play with puppets
- watch and listen to other children
- join in with action rhymes and songs
- look at picture books
Young children:
- take part in circle time
- take part in groups activities
- imaginary play in ‘home corner’
- share stories and rhymes
- play word games and riddles
Adolescence:
- read a wide range of books and journals
- take part in group projects
- discuss ideas
- plan and deliver presentations
Piaget’s model
The cognitive stage theory of a Swiss psychologist named Jean Piaget is one of the most well-known theories on cognitive development. Piaget created and studied a model for how children and adolescents learn to think logically and scientifically throughout time. Piaget suggested that cognition develops in stages from infancy to the end of adolescence after extensively observing children.
Piaget’s stages of cognitive development
- Sensorimotor (birth-2 years)
- Preoperational (2-7 years)
- Concrete operational (7-11 years)
- Formal operational (11-18 years)
Sensorimotor stage (birth-2 years)
Infants think by interacting with the world using their eyes, ears, hands and mouth. They are constantly touching, manipulating, looking, listening to and even biting and chewing objects. These actions, according to Piaget, help infants to learn about the world and are important for their early cognitive development.
Preoperational stage (2-7 years)
Children use symbols to represent their earlier sensorimotor discoveries. Development of language and make-believe play take place. Piaget believed that children at this age cannot properly understand how ideas like number, mass and volume really work.
Concrete operational stage (7-11 years)
Children’s reasoning becomes logical providing the issues are concrete. In this stage, children may be able to understand simple logical principles. As they progress through primary school, children gain the ability to express ideas and events in a more flexible and logical manner. Piaget called this period the concrete operational stage because children mentally “operate” or concrete objects and events.
Formal operational stage (11-18 years)
This is when the capacity for abstract thinking allows adolescents to reason through symbols that do not refer to objects in the real world as is required in advanced mathematics. In other words, the child develops the ability to reason not only about physical objects and events, but also about hypothetical or abstract ones. As a result, it is known as the formal operational stage – the time when a person may “operate” on “forms” or “representations”.
Abstract logical thinking
The ability to solve problems using imagination without having to be involved practically.
Egocentric thinking
Not being able to see a situation from another person’s point of view.
Concrete logical thinking
The ability to solve problems providing an individual can see or physically handle the issues involved.
