Cognitive development refers to the construction of a thought process that includes problem solving, remembering, and the ability to make decisions from childhood to the adulthood stage.
Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development
· Piaget’s particular focus was on the cognitive development of children and on the way in which their mind’s processed and progressed in knowledge
· Piaget observed and described children at different ages.
· His theory is very broad, from birth through adolescence, and includes concepts of language, scientific reasoning, moral development, and memory.
Piaget’s Assumptions About Children
· Children construct their own knowledge in response to their experiences
· Children learn many thing on their own without the assistance of an adult or an older children
· Children are intrinsically motivated to learn and do not need rewards from adults in order to motivate them to learn
Role of Nature and Nurture
· Piaget believe that nature and nurture interact in order to produce cognitive development
· Adaptation: Children respond to the demands of the environment in ways that meet their own goals
· Organization: Children integrate particular observations into a body of coherent knowledge
Piaget divided the child's path of development into four stages, which began with birth and culminated in the teen years.
Vygotsky’s Theory of Cognitive Development
Vygotsky believed that the adults help foster children’s learning in an intentional and somewhat systematic manner. Adults engage children in meaningful and challenging activities to show them how to use various physical and cognitive tools in order to facilitate their performance and help them make sense of their own experiences. According to Vygotsky, until children learn to use mental tools, their learning is largely controlled by the environment. His perspective is known as sociocultural theory because he emphasized the importance of adult guidance in promoting cognitive advancements. Vygotsky’s primary focus was on the role of nurture, and especially on the ways in which a child’s social and cultural environments foster cognitive growth.
Zone of Proximal Development
The range of tasks that children cannot yet perform independently, but can perform with the help and guidance of others is refers as the zone of proximal development. When this happens, the child does not simply acquire new knowledge but actually makes progress in his or her development—in Vygotsky’s words, “learning leads development.” Vygotsky recognized that the assistance or scaffolding needed to bring about new skills and concepts within a child’s ZPD may take different forms for children of different ages.
For more information on cognitive development click on this link
http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v4n1/bergen.html