xx March 2007
Cognition and Social Relations in Middle Childhood
Cognitive theory regarding the logical development of a child’s mind has been the subject of various researches. The most famous theory in this field is that posited by Jean Piaget, a 20th century Swiss psychologist (Lin; Huitt & Hummel). Piaget’s cognitive theory has two aspects. The first one involves the process where the child comes to know things, while the second one involves the multifarious stages that a child undergoes as he gradually acquires cognitive ability (Huitt & Hummel). These two processes are called assimilation and accommodation, respectively (Cryer).
Piaget posited that a child undergoes different developmental stages from his birth to adolescence. The first stage is the sensori-motor stage, where the child develops his sense of the world through instinctive actions such as sucking and crawling. At this point, a child creates a picture based on the stimuli from his senses (Cryer). The next stage is the more important stage for cognitive development in middle childhood, which is called preoperational intelligence stage. This stage occurs when a child is in his second to seventh years. At this stage, a child can already make mental representations, but he is yet incapable of logically organizing his thoughts. Finally, in the child’s seventh to eleventh year, he would acquire both symbolic and logical intelligence. The ridged thinking characteristic of the previous stage is completely improved and the child is able to realize general rules and strategies (“Piaget’s Stages”).
The cognitive theory is not the only aspect of child development that attracted researchers’ attention. Children’s behaviors also attracted studies, particularly those relating to children’s social development. One such case is children’s behavior involving resistance to cheating in school. Researchers Jensen-Campbell and Graziano posited that children’s behavior is shaped by certain traits, such as agreeableness and conscientiousness. These traits are predictive of children’s behavior in various situations.
This case concerning children’s behavior towards cheating in school exams can be analyzed by looking at cognitive and social theory. The issue relates to how a child appreciates a certain situation and decides about how to deal with it. The implications of the application of social and cognitive development theories revolve around the ways of teaching children in order to fully develop their skills and adapt successfully to any given situation.
Works Cited
Cryer, L. Cognitive Thinking. 2003. Northern College. 5 Mar. 2007 <http://www.northern.ac.uk/NCMaterials/psychology/lifespan%20folder/Cognitivethinki ng.htm>.
Huitt, W., & Hummel, J. “Piaget’s theory of cognitive development.” Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta State University. 2003. 5 Mar. 2007 ;http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/cogsys/piaget.html;.
Lin, Shu-wan. “Piaget’s developmental stages.” B. Hoffman (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Educational Technology. 2002. 5 Mar. 2007, from <http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/piaget/start.htm>.
“Piaget’s Stages.” 5 Mar. 2007 ;http://evolution.massey.ac.nz/assign2/SW/Stages.htm;.
Shiner, Rebecca. “An Emerging Developmental Science of Personality: Current Progress and Future Prospects.” Merrill – Palmer Quarterly 51.3 (Jul. 2005). 5 Mar. 2007 ;http://0- proquest.umi.com.novacat.nova.edu/pqdweb?did=939430791;Fmt=3;clientId=17038; RQT=309;VName=PQD;.
