IT IV E D EV EL O P M E N T :

COGN
IN F A N T S A N D T OD D LE R S
A RK A NGEL O DE L OS RE YES
REPORTERS: M
ERICA B. DACLAN
 CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
AFTER THIS CHAPTER, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO:
DESCRIBE THE SUBSTAGES OF THE PIAGET’S SENSORIMOTOR STAGE.
EXPLAIN HOW THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT AFFECTS COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
ACCORDING TO VYGOTSKY’S THEORY.
DISCUSS THE PROGRESSION OF LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT DURING THE FIRST TWO
YEARS.
COMPARE THE THEORIES OF LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT.
DEFINE CLASSICAL AND OPERANT CONDITIONING.
1. SUMMARIZE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF MEMORY
 PIAGET
JEAN PIAGET IS THE MOST NOTED THEORIST WHEN IT COMES TO CHILDREN’S COGNITIVE
DEVELOPMENT. HE BELIEVED THAT CHILDREN’S COGNITION DEVELOPS IN STAGES. HE
EXPLAINED THIS GROWTH IN THE FOLLOWING STAGES:

SENSORY MOTOR STAGE (BIRTH THROUGH 2 YEARS OLD)

PREOPERATIONAL STAGE (2-7 YEARS OLD)

CONCRETE OPERATIONAL STAGE (7-11 YEARS OLD)

• FORMAL OPERATIONAL STAGE (12 YEARS OLD- ADULTHOOD)

PIAGET AND SENSORIMOTOR INTELLIGENCE
• PIAGET DESCRIBES INTELLIGENCE IN INFANCY AS SENSORIMOTOR OR
BASED ON DIRECT, PHYSICAL CONTACT. INFANTS TASTE, FEEL, POUND,
PUSH, HEAR, AND MOVE IN ORDER TO EXPERIENCE THE WORLD. LET’S
EXPLORE THE TRANSITION INFANTS MAKE FROM RESPONDING TO THE
EXTERNAL WORLD REFLEXIVELY AS NEWBORNS TO SOLVING PROBLEMS
USING MENTAL STRATEGIES AS TWO YEARS OLD.
 SUBSTAGES OF PIAGET’S SENSORIMOTOR STAGE
Substage Age Description
Substage One: Simple Birth to 1 month This active learning begins with
automatic movements or reflexes. A
Reflexes ball comes into contact with an
infant’s cheek and is automatically
sucked on and licked.
Substage Two: Primary The infant begins to discriminate
between objects and adjust
Circular Reactions responses accordingly as reflexes
are replaced with voluntary
movements. An infant may
accidentally engage in a behavior
and find it interesting such as
making a vocalization.
Substage Age Description

This interest motivates trying to do

it again and helps the infant learn a
new behavior that originally
occurred by chance. At first, most
actions have to do with the body, but
in months to come, will be directed

more toward objects.

Substage Three: 4 to 8 months The infant becomes more and more

actively engaged in the outside
Secondary Circular world and takes delight in being
Reactions able to make things happen.
Substage Age Description
Repeated motion brings particular
interest as the infant is able to bang
two lids together from the cupboard
when seated on the kitchen floor.
Substage Four: 8 to 12 months The infant can engage in behaviors
that others perform and anticipate
Coordination of circular upcoming events. Perhaps because
reactions of continued maturation of the
prefrontal cortex, the infant becomes
capable of having a thought and
carrying out a planned, goal-directed
activity such as seeking a toy that
has rolled under the couch.
The object continues to exist in the
infant’s mind even when out of sight
and the infant now is capable of
making attempts to retrieve it.
Substage Age Description

Substage Five: Tertiary 12 to 18 months The infant more actively engages in

experimentation to learn about the
Circular Reactions physical world. Gravity is learned by
pouring water from a cup or pushing
bowls from high chairs. The caregiver
tries to help the child by picking it up
again and placing it on the tray.And
what happens? Another experiment!
The child pushes it off the tray again
causing it to fall and the caregiver to
pick it up again!
Substage Age Description
Substage Six: Internalization 18 months to 2 years The child is now able to solve problems
using mental strategies, to remember
of Schemes and Early something heard days before and
Representational thought repeat it, to engage in pretend play, and
to find objects that have been moved
even when out of sight. Take for
instance, the child who is upstairs in a
room with the door closed, supposedly
taking a nap. The doorknob has a safety
device on it that makes it impossible for
the child to turn the knob. After trying
several times in vain to push the door or
turn the doorknob, the child carries out
a mental strategy learned from prior
experience to get the door opened-he
knocks on the door! The child is now
better equipped with mental strategies
for problem-solving.
•INFANTS AND TODDLERS ARE BORN READY TO LEARN. THEY LEARN
THROUGH CUDDLING WITH A CAREGIVER, LISTENING TO LANGUAGE,
EXPERIMENTING WITH SOUNDS, MOVING THEIR BODIES, REACHING
FOR OBJECTS, TASTING FOODS, AND EXPLORING THEIR
ENVIRONMENTS. THEIR BRAINS GO THROUGH AMAZING CHANGES
DURING THE FIRST THREE YEARS OF LIFE. THIS LESSON WILL
HIGHLIGHT COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES FOR INFANTS
AND TODDLERS.
•INFANTS’ AND TODDLERS’ THINKING SKILLS GROW AS
THEY INTERACT WITH THE WORLD AND PEOPLE AROUND
THEM. THE KEY TO HEALTHY BRAIN DEVELOPMENT IS
THROUGH NURTURING AND RESPONSIVE CARE FOR A
CHILD’S BODY AND MIND.
•WATCHING AN INFANT OR TODDLER MAKE NEW DISCOVERIES IS
EXCITING. THINK OF HOW AMAZING IT IS THE FIRST TIME AN
INFANT STACKS BLOCKS (AND KNOCKS THEM DOWN) OR THE
FIRST TIME A TODDLER PRETENDS TO “READ” A BOOK TO YOU. THE
CHART BELOW HIGHLIGHTS INFANT AND TODDLER COGNITIVE
DEVELOPMENT. KEEP IN MIND THAT INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
EXIST WHEN IT COMES TO THE SPECIFIC AGE AT WHICH INFANTS
AND TODDLERS MEET THESE MILESTONES AND THAT EACH INFANT
AND TODDLER IS UNIQUE.
CHART: COGNITIVE
DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES
2 MONTHS

• PAYS ATTENTION TO FACES

• BEGINS TO FOLLOW THINGS WITH EYES AND RECOGNIZE PEOPLE AT A DISTANCE
• BEGINS TO ACT BORED (CRIES, FUSSY) IF ACTIVITY DOES NOT CHANGE
 6 MONTHS

• LOOKS AROUND AT THINGS NEARBY

• BRINGS THINGS TO MOUTH
• SHOWS CURIOSITY ABOUT THINGS AND TRIES TO GET THINGS THAT ARE OUT OF REACH
• BEGINS TO PASS THINGS FROM ONE HAND TO
ANOTHER
 12 MONTHS
• EXPLORES THINGS IN DIFFERENT WAYS, LIKE
SHAKING, BANGING, THROWING
• FINDS HIDDEN THINGS EASILY
• LOOKS AT THE RIGHT PICTURE OR THING WHEN IT IS NAMED
• COPIES GESTURES
• STARTS TO USE THINGS CORRECTLY (LIKE DRINKS FROM A CUP, BRUSHES HAIR)
• BANGS TWO THINGS TOGETHER
• PUTS THINGS IN A CONTAINER, TAKES THINGS OUT OF
A CONTAINER
• LETS THINGS GO WITHOUT HELP
• POKES WITH INDEX (POINTER) FINGER
• FOLLOWS SIMPLE DIRECTIONS LIKE “PICK UP THE
TOY”
 18 MONTHS

• KNOWS WHAT ORDINARY THINGS ARE; FOR EXAMPLE, SHOE, BRUSH, SPOON
• POINTS TO GET THE ATTENTION OF OTHERS
• SHOWS INTEREST IN A DOLL OR STUFFED ANIMAL BY
PRETENDING TO FEED
• POINT TO ONE BODY PART
• SCRIBBLES ON HIS OWN
• CAN FOLLOW ONE-STEP VERBAL COMMANDS WITHOUT ANY
GESTURES; FOR EXAMPLE, SITS WHEN YOU SAY “SIT DOWN”
• FOLLOWS TWO-STEP DIRECTIONS LIKE, “PICK UP YOUR
SHOES AND PUT THEM IN THE CLOSET”
 24 MONTHS

• FINDS THINGS EVEN WHEN HIDDEN UNDER TWO OR THREE COVERS

• BEGINS TO SORT SHAPES AND COLORS
• COMPLETES SENTENCES AND RHYMES IN FAMILIAR
BOOKS
• PLAYS SIMPLE MAKE-BELIEVE GAMES
• BUILDS TOWERS OF FOUR OR MORE BLOCKS
• MIGHT USE ONE HAND MORE THAN THE OTHER
• FOLLOWS TWO-STEP DIRECTIONS LIKE, “PICK UP
YOUR CUP AND PUT THEM IN THE TRASHCAN”
 36 MONTHS

• CAN WORK TOYS WITH BUTTONS, LEVERS, AND MOVING PARTS

• PLAYS MAKE-BELIEVE WITH DOLLS, ANIMALS, AND
PEOPLE
• DOES PUZZLES WITH THREE OR FOUR PIECES
• UNDERSTANDS WHAT “TWO” MEANS
• COPIES A CIRCLE WITH A PENCIL OR CRAYON
• TURNS BOOK PAGES ONE AT A TIME
• BUILDS TOWERS OF MORE THAN SIX BLOCKS
• SCREWS AND UNSCREWS JAR LIDS OR TURNS DOOR
HANDLES
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
DO NEWBORNS COMMUNICATE? ABSOLUTELY! HOWEVER, THEY DO NOT COMMUNICATE
WITH THE USE OF LANGUAGE. INSTEAD, THEY COMMUNICATE THEIR THOUGHTS AND
NEEDS WITH BODY POSTURE (BEING RELAXED OR STILL), GESTURES, CRIES, AND FACIAL
EXPRESSIONS. A PERSON WHO SPENDS ADEQUATE TIME WITH AN INFANT CAN LEARN
WHICH CRIES INDICATE PAIN AND WHICH ONES INDICATE HUNGER, DISCOMFORT, OR
FRUSTRATION AS WELL AS TRANSLATE THEIR VOCALIZATIONS, MOVEMENTS, GESTURES
AND FACIAL EXPRESSIONS.
 STAGES OF LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
STAGE 1 – INTENTIONAL VOCALIZATIONS: COOING AND TAKING
TURNS: INFANTS BEGIN TO VOCALIZE AND REPEAT VOCALIZATIONS
WITHIN THE FIRST COUPLE OF MONTHS OF LIFE.
• STAGE 2 – BABBLING AND GESTURING: AT ABOUT FOUR TO SIX MONTHS OF AGE, INFANTS
BEGIN MAKING EVEN MORE ELABORATE VOCALIZATIONS THAT INCLUDE THE SOUNDS
REQUIRED FOR ANY LANGUAGE. GUTTURAL SOUNDS, CLICKS, CONSONANTS, AND VOWEL
SOUNDS STAND READY TO EQUIP THE CHILD WITH THE ABILITY TO REPEAT WHATEVER
SOUNDS ARE CHARACTERISTIC OF THE LANGUAGE HEARD.

• STAGE 3 – UNDERSTANDING: AT AROUND TEN MONTHS OF AGE, THE INFANT CAN

UNDERSTAND MORE THAN HE OR SHE CAN SAY.

• STAGE 4 – HOLOPHRASTIC SPEECH: CHILDREN BEGIN USING THEIR FIRST WORDS AT ABOUT
12 OR 13 MONTHS OF AGE AND MAY USE PARTIAL WORDS TO CONVEY THOUGHTS AT EVEN
YOUNGER AGES.
STAGE 5 – UNDEREXTENSION: A CHILD WHO LEARNS THAT A WORD STANDS
FOR AN OBJECT MAY INITIALLY THINK THAT THE WORD CAN BE USED FOR
ONLY THAT PARTICULAR OBJECT. ONLY THE FAMILY’S IRISH SETTER IS A
“DOGGIE”. THIS IS REFERRED TO AS UNDEREXTENSION.
• STAGE 6 – FIRST WORDS AND CULTURAL INFLUENCES: FIRST WORDS IF
THE CHILD IS USING ENGLISH TEND TO BE NOUNS. THE CHILD LABELS
OBJECTS SUCH AS CUP OR BALL.
• STAGE 7 – VOCABULARY GROWTH SPURT: ONE YEAR OLDS TYPICALLY HAVE
A VOCABULARY OF ABOUT 50 WORDS
• STAGE 8 – TWO WORD SENTENCES AND TELEGRAPHIC SPEECH: WORDS
ARE SOON COMBINED AND 18 MONTH OLD TODDLERS CAN EXPRESS
THEMSELVES FURTHER BY USING EXPRESSIONS SUCH AS “BABY BYE- BYE”
OR “DOGGIE PRETTY”. WORDS NEEDED TO CONVEY MESSAGES ARE USED,
BUT THE ARTICLES AND OTHER PARTS OF SPEECH NECESSARY FOR
GRAMMATICAL CORRECTNESS ARE NOT YET USED.
THAT’S ALL AND THANK
YOU💜🤗