Cognitive Development

1. Cognitive Development

2. What is Cognitive Development? • Cognitive development is the construction of thought processes, including remembering, problem solving, and decision-making, from childhood through adolescence to adulthood. • Cognitive development refers to how a person perceives, thinks, and gains understanding of his or her world through the interaction of genetic and learned factors • Among the areas of cognitive development are information processing, intelligence , reasoning, language development , and memory

3. Play • Play is important for children because it exercises their linguistic, cognitive, and social skills and contributes to their general personality development • There are four different types of play

4. Solitary Play • Solitary Play: which is play that occurs alone, often with toys, and is independent of what other children are doing

5. Parallel Play • Parallel play: involves children engaged in the same activity side by side but with very little interaction or mutual influence

6. Associative Play • Associative Play: increased levels of interaction in the form of sharing, turn-taking, and general interest in what others are doing

7. Cooperative Play • Cooperative play: children join together to achieve a common goal • Building a castle with each child building a part of the structure

8. Play continued • Play allows children to freely explore ways of thinking and acting that are above their current level of functioning • Children use their minds when playing because they are thinking and acting as if they were another person. • When they make such a transformation, they are taking a step toward abstract thinking in that they are freeing their thoughts from a focus of concrete objects

9. Elementary • 4th stage, industry versus inferiority • Children start trying to prove that they are “grown up”; in fact, this is often described as the I-can-do-it-myself stage (I hear that a lot) • They can spend more time on chosen tasks, they often take pleasure in completing projects • Growth in independent action, cooperation with groups, and performing in socially acceptable ways with a concern for fair play

10. Cognitive Development Age 2-6 • Children become increasingly able to use mental representation and symbols. • words, to figure things out • Idea about the world are often illogical and much limited by the inability to understand other points of view • They only see their view • Language • By the age of 6, the average child knows 14,000 words and demonstrates extensive grammatical knowledge. Children also learn to adjust their communication to their audience.

11. Cognitive Development Age 7-11 • Concrete Operational Thought • Children develop the ability to understand logical principles. • Once acquired, the concepts of reciprocity, classification, class inclusion, and number help children to develop a more complete understanding of mathematics and of measurement • Information-Processing View • Children’s expanded ability to understand and learn can be attributed, part, to enlarging memory capacity and an increasing ability to use metamemory techniques. At the same time, metacognition techniques enable children to organize their knowledge

12. Overview-Elementary Students Cognitive Growth • Begin to understand logical principles • Begin to have a more complete understanding of math and measurement • Memory capacity enlarges • Can better organize their knowledge • Can use more complex vocabulary and word usage

13. Attributes of 1st Graders Age 6 Extremely egocentric & wants to be the center of attention • Wants to be the “best” and “first” • Has boundless energy • May be oppositional, silly, brash, and critical • Cries easily; shows a variety of tension-releasing behavior • Has difficulty being flexible • Often considers fantasy real

14. Attributes of 2nd Graders Age 7 Begin to calm down a bit • Being to reason and concentrate • Worry, are self-critical, and may express a lack of confidence • Demand more of their teacher’s time • Dislike being singled out, even for praise

15. Attributes of 3rd Graders Age 8 Explosive, excitable, dramatic, & inquisitive • Possesses a “know-it-all” attitude • Is able to assume some responsibility for his/her actions • Actively seeks praise • May undertake more than he/she can handle successfully • Is self-critical • Recognizes the needs of others

16. Attributes of 4th Graders Age 9 Time of general confusion for kids • Want to put some distance between themselves & adults, & may rebel against authority • Need to be part of a group • Seek independence • Possesses a high activity level • Can express a wide range of emotions & verbalize easily • Can empathize • Can think independently & critically, but are tied of to peer standards • Begin to increase their sense of truthfulness • Are typically not self-confident

17. Attributes of 5th Graders Age 10 Has a positive approach to life • Tends to be obedient, good natured, and fun • Possesses a surprising scope of interests • Find TV very important & identifies with TV characters • Is capable of increasing independence • Is becoming more truthful and dependable • Tends to be improving his/her self-concept & acceptance of others • Forms good personal relationships with teachers & counselors

18. Attributes of 6th Graders Age 11 Heading towards adolescence • Shows more self-assertion & curiosity • Is socially expansive & aware • Is physically exuberant, restless, wiggly, & talks a lot • Has a range & intensity of emotions • Is moody & easily frustrated • Can relate feelings • Is competitive, wants to excel, and may put down the “out group” • Exhibits “off-color” humor & silliness • Teases & tussles