Children, Adults and Cognitive Development Theory

My son will turn two this Friday, and I have been keenly aware of his development as well as the areas of his personality and skills that seem to expand and improve over other areas. I found it interesting with the energy work that I do to learn more about Cognitive Development Theory, or CDT. CDT deals with our thought processes—our ability to remember, think and make decisions. Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist, was the first to formulate the theory of cognitive development. Since CDT is something of interest to me, I wanted to share with you with what a child’s thought development goes through for the following important stages according to Piaget.

I encourage you as you read through these stages to question if cognitive development actually “stops” when we reach adulthood or if it instead continues in a cyclical manner.

Sensorimotor Period (Birth to 2 Years)

Unlike what was earlier believed, infants do not lack the ability to form conscious thoughts. Learning language is not necessary to think, and according to Piaget babies start absorbing and interpreting their surroundings from the moment they are born. They express their thoughts through their motor activities such as sucking objects, following objects with their eyes, moving their hand and feet, etc. In fact, by the time a baby is seven months old she is able to memorize and even communicate through actions.

Based on Piaget’s theory, we begin to see how relevant and important a tool such as sign language becomes for providing our children with an effective form of communication. Does this stage ever get duplicated in life? I question if while a young adult is going through college and university if he experiences this phase of cognitive learning to some extent? Or if an adult when moving through the interviewing process with a potential new career or position experiences another phase of this CDT?

Preoperative Period (2 to 6/7 Years)

By the time a child is two years old she starts understanding language (100-150 words initially) and keeps on adding 10 new words to her vocabulary every day. Children older than two years begin comprehending emotions like love, trust, anger, etc ., and are able to express them in the most basic manner. As they grow older, children start becoming egocentric and pushing the limits set by their parents to see how far they can go without provoking anger or punishment. This is the phase that most parents find difficult to deal with; however, by the time a child is seven years old she starts understanding discipline and manners (provided parents have inculcated the values) and learns to respect the limits set by her parents.

This is definitely the state at which my son is. With the support of sign language we are able to reduce his frustration levels when trying to communicate his needs and wants. As I look to the future, I begin to ponder the notion that this phase will be repeated when he enters the workforce upon completing school. New language will be required for him to communicate effectively in the workplace, as will new rules and regulations: how will he conform or push the envelope? Will he easily respect the limits set by the corporation within which he works?

Concrete Operations (7 to 11/12 Years)

This is the stage by which a child develops basic logical reasoning powers as well as problem solving abilities. Children at this stage of development are able to understand concepts like logical relationships between elements, sequence, time, space and order.

As we settle into the workforce or into a new career path, does this concrete operation phase duplicate itself? Based on my own background, I believe I have moved through this phase with each new industry in which I worked such as corporate America, the education industry and now coaching and consulting industries.

Formal Operations (11/12 Years to adulthood)

This is the ultimate stage of development. By the time children are 11 to 12 years old they develop the ability to think abstractly and are able to comprehend hypothetical concepts. This fourth phase of CDT lends itself well to being revisited when an individual has settled into his chosen career path and has completed the initial learning phase of his job.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that development stops after this stage; rather, it continues because the human mind never stops learning and growing. Past the formal operations stage, children use and revise whatever they have learned to grow further intellectually—as do adults. When an adult remains open to learning new skills and concepts, then the phases, I would hypothesize, are continuously repeated.

Understanding cognitive development theory is vital for all academicians and educators, as it can help them understand how to understand and deal with impressionable young minds. This understanding also provides support to managers and leaders in working with their employees to ensure each individual is working within an area that supports her personal goals and desired life aspirations. When a company is able to better understand its employees and where they want to be, then it become easier for the company to attain and reach its own goals and milestones.