Instructor's Notes 1 Unit 3 Fall 2022.pdf - Human Growth...

© Ramos-Cancel, M.L (Revised 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022)
Human Growth and Development
MariaLi Ramos-Cancel, Ph.D.
Fall 2022
Cognitive Domain
Unit Three First Set Notes
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Major Topics
Cognitive Development and Neurocognitive Disorders
Learning, Cognition, Memory, Thinking, Reasoning, Knowledge
Problem-Solving, Judging, Decision-Making
Language, Intelligence, Creativity

© Ramos-Cancel, M.L (Revised 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022)
Basic Principles of Cognitive Development
Learning, Cognition, Memory, Thinking, Reasoning, Knowledge
Problem-Solving, Judging, Decision-Making
Language, Intelligence, Creativity
Basic Cognitive Structure and Processes
1. Development of organized mental structures (schemes) starts early in life. For example,
small children can combine simple structures for saying Hi and making eye contact into a
complex structure of greeting, which may also include holding a hand to be shaken.
2. Young infants show ability to learn and remember , and learning is through the senses.
Young infants already show assimilation and accommodation to adapt to the word. As was
mentioned in Unit 1, assimilation is the process by which we acquire and interpret new
information without modifying our existing cognitive structures, whereas accommodation is
the process of modifying our existing cognitive structures to better fit or understand new
information and experiences.
3. Piaget identified different stages of cognitive development , starting with the sensory-motor,
followed by preoperational, concrete, and formal operational. These stages have an impact
on reasoning, problem solving, decision-making, and emotions.
4. Object permanence and ability to solve problems and use symbols emerge by age 2. Ability
to use symbols paves the way for language development and for pretend/imaginary play
(age 3) and later development of abstract thought.
5. Other cognitive processes present during early infancy include habituation , dishabituation ,
attention recovery , and visual recognition memory . Infants tend to pay attention to new
sounds and new visual stimuli. However, after a while, the infants may lose interest on the
original items ( habituation ), and something else can easily attract their attention. As time
passes, the original items (i.e. sounds or visual stimuli) may again attract their attention
( dishabituation ). Searching for items in the place where they were earlier, or recognizing
them when presented, shows that infants have visual recognition memory .
6. How fast an infant habituates, dishabituates, and recovers attention is associated with future
intelligence . Visual recognition memory and how well information is processed during
infancy are also associated with future intelligence .
Basic Learning Processes
1. Classical and operant conditioning , as well as observational learning , are already present
during infancy. These learning processes continue throughout our lives. Basic operant
conditioning present during infancy are referred to as circular reactions . These circular
reactions reflect the assimilation and accommodation processes used to interact with the
environment.