QUESTION what are some important aspects of cognitive and social development that occur in children between the ages if two and five years (2-5years) and what factors influence this development?
COGNITIVE AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Cognitive development refers to be a development process by which a toddler becomes a bright person by obtaining knowledge with growth increasing his or her capacity to learn, think, abstract and reason. It helps us in understanding how environmental, learning and cultural plays a prominent role in the cognitive development of children. It also means how they behave with their peers (Overgaard & Grünbaum, 2012). Imagination and creativity has been played a prominent role in the child development. Children’s have used their own language when they involve in the world of imagination. A child begins to speak since they born. They use their own imagination and words to create something. When a child starts imitating their parents, they use their own language to recognizing the world around them. Language is also a symbolic way to teach a child from his/her childhood. Parents should let his child play with himself. Children must learn to share their food, games, clothes, and other accessories with their fellow students or their seniors. Social development starts from the family. It is to be said that full cognitive development requires a social interaction with the peers, classmate, family and friends. There are some basic aspects of the cognitive development; social behavior, visual-motor task, development of grosses motor, fine motor development and language. Children’s have different way to understand and analyze one object. No one can predict the exact abilities of children. Children have different capabilities and may have similar outcomes at the age of two to five years. Children begin some abilities at the age up to 5 years:
Children obtain abilities to symbolize different object. They acquire the ability to find the hidden objects, imitate their parent’s actions and starts symbolic play. A child loves to find hidden object which gave them a unconditional reason to smile.
Children at this stage are egocentric like they used to think that their parents perceive, and feel like the way they do. For example: children’s do not understand how different shaped objects can fill different amount of water in it.
Children at this stage try to imagine a magical world. They used to think of some imaginative characters (Overgaard & Grünbaum, 2012).
Children at this stage begin the ability to sense right and wrong which evaluates by how much damage they did. This ability is very important that parents must try to teach their children. Children’s understand how much they did wrong is based upon the how much damage they did
Children’s at this stage thought that they are superior to the others (Olson, 2004).
PIAGET THEORY (2 -5 years)
SENSORIMOTOR STAGE (0-2 years) – At this stage, Children starts using and coordinating their senses with motor response. Children start using language for demand the thing they need. They begin to read some words but in improper way. Children’s starts playing with the toys and imitating the actions of their toys. It is to be believed that most of the infants start imitating their parent’s action which is quite common. So, it is to be said, parents must not show their anger in front of their children and speak abusive language (Flavell, 2004).
PREOPERATIONAL STAGE (2-5 Years) – At this stage, a child starts using language to act for different kinds of images and words. Children at this stage are very egocentric. They have not that strength to understand the sharing with family and friends. They have become egocentric than the earlier stage. Parents must try to make their children down to earth (Olson, 2004).
BRUNER’S THEORY (2-5 years)
Jerome Seymour Bruner is a scientist who worked on the human psychology and cognitive learning theory. He was a senior researcher. He was born blind but he never sees his disability as his curse. He worked very hard and become a personified researcher. Bruner has believed on the symbol, enactive methods for the development of a child. Both stages have their own advantages and disadvantages.
ENACTIVE STAGE – This is the first stage which is known as concrete stage. This stage involves practical methods of learning. It is to be said that burner believes in learn with action. Common examples are paper, coin, tiles or everything which we can see with our naked eyes. Teach poems to a child by way of actions. A child begins his actions by:
Feeling
Touch
Smell
Laugh
Mimic
ICONIC IMAGE STAGE – This is second stage which is known as pictorial stage. It involves images and pictures to represent the particular image or situation to the children. Children up to 1 year loves to see at the colorful images.at the age 3 -5 years children love to fill color in the pictures which improves their creativity.
SYMBOLIC STAGE – This stage is also known as abstract stage. At this stage children learn to represent the images and pictures by using symbols and words. It helps the children to understand the situation by merging the images together. For example:
NUMBER STAGE – numbers are the type of symbols to know how many things are there or available. Parents try to teach their children about the numbers by asking them how many apples I have, how many pieces you ate. Children may understand the situation by merging all the images and pictures at one place (Eylon & Linn, 1998).
LEV VYGOTSKY (2-5 years)
Lev Vygotsky theory of social and cognitive development is focusing social interaction and imaginative way of thinking plays a prominent role in developing the cognitive in the children’s. The theory based on the social interaction that helps the children’s in developing social and cognitive development (Bandura, 2004). Children in the earliest stage try to imitate their parents of family action which throw a great impact on them. According to Lev Vygotsky, children development is based on both cognitive and social development. Vygotsky also says that there many things or activities which child cannot do itself (Vygotsky, 1992).
For example: A child and his father are playing with some toys of different shapes. A small child cannot recognize the shape of a toy itself, he need the help of his father to help him in recognizing the different kind of shapes (Greeno, 2009). A good father helps his/her child to put few pieces in the particular hole. This method of recognizing and learning shapes is very important for the children’s. This is a good example of cognitive and social development, (Cooper, 1993).
Imagination and creativity has been played a prominent role in the child development. Children’s have used their own language when they involve in the world of imagination. A child begins to speak since they born. They use their own imagination and words to create something. When a child starts imitating their parents, they use their own language to recognizing the world around them. Language is also a symbolic way to teach a child from his/her childhood. Parents should let his child play with himself. When a child is playing, a constant dialogue is developed which plays an important in the development of the child. A child at play used his own inner speech while talking.
REFERENCES:
Overgaard, M., & Grünbaum, T. (2012). Cognitive and non-cognitive conceptions of consciousness. Trends In Cognitive Sciences, 16(3), 137.
Vygotsky, L.S. (1992). Thought and language. (A. Kozulin, Trans. & Ed.). Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. (Original Work published 1934)
Flavell, J. (2000). The developmental psychology of Jean Piaget. New York: D. Van Nostrand.
Cooper, P.A., (1993, May). Paradigm shifts in designed instruction: From behaviorism to cognitivism to constructivism. Educational Technology, 33(5), 12-19.
Greeno, J. (2008). A perspective on thinking. American Psychologist, 44, 134-141.
Bandura, A. (2004). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Eylon, B., & Linn, M. (1988). Learning and instruction: An examination of four research perspectives in science education. Review of Educational Research, 58(3), 251–301
Olson, D.R. (May, 2000). The mind according to Bruner. Educational Researcher, 21(4), 29-31