PSY1170

1. Cognitive Development Throughout
Childhood

2. Cognitive Development in Infancy
• Birth to 2 years old
• Begins to develop simple sentences
• Learns behaviours through classical and operant
conditioning, and observing models
• Learn about the world through their senses and
motor actions (sensorimotor stage)
• Infants as young as 3 months can remember
objects and actions for up to a week
• Develop schematic learning which enables them to
distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar
stimuli

3. Cognitive Development in Early Childhood
• Ages 3-6 years old
• Develops into the preoperational stage which
involves using symbols in thinking and
communication
• Thinks of the world one variable at a time
(centration) and has difficulty seeing others
perspectives (egocentrism).
• More complex sentences
• Developed theory of mind (others actions are based
on their own ideas)

4. Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood
• Ages 7-11 years old
• Develops concrete operational stage which involves thinking logically about
events and objects in the real world
• By age 5 or 6, grammar and pronunciation of their first language is virtually
mastered
• More complete and complex sentences
• Ability to solve simple problems
• More socially and emotionally advances

5. Cognitive Development in Adolescence
• Ages 12-18 years old
• Advanced information processing in most individuals
• Teens become more proficient in metacognition and metamemory
• Operational stage of development reached including ability to think logically
about abstract ideas
• Develops formal operational stage

6. Similarities and differences between the childhood
stages of development
Similarities Differences
• All age groups have ways to test
intelligence
• Each stage has significant
behavioural change or learning
curve
• Each stage identifies the major
concepts of the stage (i.e. language,
memory, information processing)
• Different stages of Piaget’s level of
development based on age
• Language is more complex as you
age in childhood
• Ability to understand others and
the real world differs

7. What are the Positive Components of Piaget’s
Stages of Development?
• Focuses on qualitative development and had an impact on education
• Many educational programs are developed on his theory and taught at
which the level they are developmentally prepared
• A number of instructional strategies have been produced him Piaget’s
theory including:
- supportive environment
- utilizing social interactions and peer teaching
- helping children with learning disabilities

8. What are the Flaws of Piaget’s Stages of
Development?
• Piaget insisted that all stages of development are reached and
cannot be skipped
• Piaget reports that each stage of development happens within his
time frame he set on each stage, while Erikson argues that
developmental change is continual

9. Infancy and Attachment
• The majority of parents manage to respond to their infant in
sensitive ways that enhance the development of a close
relationship
• The father and mother interact differently with the infant, but the
infant is dependent on both
• Attachment behaviours include:
- stranger anxiety
- separation anxiety
- social referencing

10. Effects on Toddler Cognitive Development in
Daycare Settings
• High quality cognitively enriched
daycares have beneficial effects on
children’s overall cognitive development
• Coupled with insensitive mothering,
insecure attachment is amplified by the
child
• Insecure attachment: avoiding or ignoring
the caregiver and showing little emotion
when they depart or return

11. Theory of Mind in Early Childhood
• Age 3: understands some aspects of the link between people’s
thinking, feelings, and behaviour
• Age 4: basic principle that each person’s actions are based on his
or her representation of reality
• Ages 4-5: cannot understand that other people can think of them
• Ages 5-7: understand the reciprocal nature of thought

12. How Does an Infant Begin to Learn a
Language?
• Phonological awareness: a child’s
understanding of the sounds patterns
of the language
• Things that facilitate in an infant
learning a language are:
- Nursery rhymes
- Games involving repetitive words

13. What are Some Intelligence Tests
Performed on Children?
• Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children (WISC-IV)
- Verbal comprehension index
- Perceptual reasoning index
- Working memory index
- Processing speed index
• Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon created the first intelligence test
(IQ Test)

14. Is This Relevant to Me Personally?
• Yes it is! Being a former gymnastics instructor, a part time nanny, and future
registered nurse, knowing how children behave is crucial to satisfying their needs
of daily living as well as:
• To better understand and predict the behaviours of children, and what is
appropriate behaviour for their age
• To keep them happy and entertain them in ways that are suitable for their
cognitive abilities

15. Will I use this information in my professional life?
• I will use this information in my
professional life as a registered nurse as
I am wanting to work in pediatrics
• Whether or not I work in pediatrics or
another unit, children will likely be
involved in some way and being able to
relate to them and know how they are
cognitively developed will help when
explaining procedures to them

16. References
Boyd, D., Johnson, P., Bee, H. (2015). Lifespan Development. (5th Canadian
ed.). Toronto, ON: Prentice Hall Canada Inc.
http://psychology.about.com/od/piagetstheory/p/piagetcriticism.htm