Cognitive & Emotional Development

These tasks are based on Piaget and Erikson’s theories

Birth – 2 Years

• Infants are exploring their world through sucking, grasping, gazing, etc.

• Need consistency and will develop trust if they can rely on their parents

• Aware that objects exist even when out of sight (object permanence)

  • Example: when a toy is placed under a blanket, child knows that the toy is still there

• Child mirrors another person’s behavior after it has occurred (deferred imitation)

2 – 7 Years

• Can move around and explore the world, giving him/her more independence (autonomy)

• The control the child has can give him/her self-esteem

• Becomes curious about people, models adults, and becomes aware of gender differences

• Takes on new responsibilities and learns new skills

• Thinking is based on how the child sees the world; children believe that everyone thinks like they do (egocentrism)

• Begins to play by pretending an object is something else (symbolic play)

  • Example: a block can be used as a telephone

• Focuses on one part of an object at a time (centration)

7 – 11/12 Years

• Begins school and wishes to succeed

• Learns important skills and gains status among classmates

• Thought becomes more organized

• Can understand that something can have the same properties, even if it looks differently (conservation)

  • Example: an equal amount of water is poured into a tall, skinny glass and a short, wide glass.  The glasses look very different, but they still hold the same amount of water.

• Can reverse the steps he/she has taken (reversibility)

  • Example: 5 + 2 = 7 and 7 – 2 = 5

• Can sort dissimilar objects into groups that make sense (classification)

• Can put items in a particular order (seriation)

  • Example: arranges toys according to height

11/12 – 19 Years

• Concerned with appearance

• Development of a personal identity

• Thinks about the future (goals, occupation, a partner, etc.)

• Capable of identifying a problem, coming up with several suggestions, and testing them

• Uses planning to think ahead

• The adolescent can put together all the possible outcomes before beginning the problem (abstract thinking)