Discuss the cognitive changes taking place in a developing child.
Solution
The cognitive changes that take place in a developing child are as follows:
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0-2 years: This is the age of sensory motors whereby, infant explores the world by coordinating sensory experiences with physical actions.
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2-7 years: In this age, Preoperational thinking begins and the child acquires the concept of object permanence that enables him/her to use mental symbols to represent objects. The child does not have the ability to judge or assume the consequences of actions before performing them.
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The child also acquires preoperational thought, i.e., s/he gains the ability to mentally represent an object that is not physically present.
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The children are egocentric and develop animist thought
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4-7 years: Children develop intuitive thought. This enables them to question the things happening around them.
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7-11 years: This age is marked by the development of concrete operational thought, whereby a logical thought is developed and the child can reason logically about concrete events, classify objects into sets and perform reversible mathematical operations.
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11-15 years: The adolescents in this age develop formal operational thought, which leads to hypothetical thinking and is able to apply logic abstractly. They also develop a special kind of egocentrism of imaginary audience and personal fable.
