Promoting Cognitive Development

Promoting Cognitive Development

Introduction

A number of theories have been developed that address different issues. Cognitive development is an aspect where there are a number of theories and these theories are about the cognitive development of people. It is important for the people to make sure that the development theories are studied so that they can better understand the development process of the human being. Child development theories have been developed by Erik Erikson, Jean Piaget, B.F.Skinner and Lev Vygotsky. This paper will compare and contrast approaches of the four theorists.

Discussion

Approaches of the Four Perspectives

Erik Erikson is one of the most prominent figures in the history of the child development theory. He believed that social and cultural experiences were the main and the primary factors that influenced the development of children. He had proposed four stages of development which were social, as well as, psychological (lrrpublic.cli.det.nsw.edu.au). The first stage was from birth to 18 months, second stage was from 18 months to 3 years, the third stage was from 3-6 years and the last and the fourth stage was from 6 years to 12 years.

The second approach was of Jean Piaget. According to him, cognitive development takes place in numerous stages of the life of the people; however, children are the ones who are developing their own thinking system. Adults, on the other hand, are the ones who are influenced by their own surroundings. Furthermore, he also stressed that biology plays an important and a vital role in the cognitive development of the people. He also spoke about the four stages of development; from birth to 2 years, 2-7 years, third stage from 7-11 years and the fourth stage from 11 years to adulthood.

B.F. Skinner is known for his theory of conditioning. He believes that behavior is reinforced and that punishment is one thing that moulds the behavior of the people. By means of their experience, children are conditioned and they react accordingly. Operant conditioning is one concept that was developed by B.F. Skinner according to which pleasant and unpleasant consequences can be controlled by means of their behavior (karolyeatts.com). Negative and positive reinforcement was introduced by Skinner and according to him good behavior can be reinforced by rewards and negative behavior by punishment.

Lev Vygotsky is also known for his child development theory. He is the one who has presented that social interaction is the key aspect for learning the cultural context and that children are strongly influenced by their surroundings. He said that development is the continuous process of learning and that infants learn very quickly from the ages 2 to 5. Zones of Proximal Development (ZPD) is the main aspect of the theory of Vygotsky, according to which 'the distance between the actual development level an individual has achieved (his or her independent level of problem solving) and the level of potential development he or she could achieve with adult guidance or through collaboration with other children.'

The theories presented by the theorists help in understanding the ...