Intellectual development

throughout the lifestages

The Life Stages
Intellectual Development
Piaget (1896 -1980) famous theorist who studied our ability to think and
develop,
Piaget believes that there are four stages of intellectual development which
mature or unfolds:
1. Sensorimotor stage: birth to 1 and a half or 2 years,
2. The pre-operational stage: 2 7 years,
3. The concrete operational stage: 7 11 years,
4. The formal operational stage from 11+ years.
Page 140 book 1
Language Development
Chomsky (1959) and Pinker (1994) believe that the ability to develop a signed
or spoken language is genetically programmed into us (language acquisition
device),
The ability to use language develops because of maturation, we do need to
experience other people using language but we do not need to be trained in
order to speak,
Some children will develop speech much more rapidly than others.
3. Birth and Infancy Intellectual Development
0-2 years development

Stage 1 : The sensorimotor Stage : Birth to 1 - 2 years old.
Thinking without language
Born with the ability to sense objects
Born with some reflexes eg : the ability to suck
Thinking is limited to sensing objects & performing actions
No working system for remembering & thinking about the world until 18
months old

3. Birth and Infancy Intellectual
Development
Language Development

3 mths babbling noises muscles involved with speech
12 mths Imitate sounds eg, da-da; development of single words
2 yrs 2 word statements; development of vocabulary
3 yrs simple sentences eg, I want drink leads into questions; further
development of vocabulary

4. Childhood Intellectual Development
The Pre Operational Stage : 2-7 Years old

Pre logical thinking but without understanding logic
Can use words to communicate
Dont really understand number, mass, volume, etc
May be able to count but not understand how numbers work/what they mean

4. Childhood Intellectual Development
Language development

4 yrs clear sentences; some mistakes with grammar
5 yrs+ - use full adult grammar; vocabulary continues to grow; formal
grammar improves
As we get older, our vocabulary continues to improve and our grammar
becomes more efficient

4. Childhood Intellectual Development
The Concrete operational stage : 7 11 years A stage where logical thinking is
limited to practical situations.

Can think logically provided issues are down to earth or concrete
May be able to solve simple logic problems when diagrams/pictures are used


5. Adolescence
Intellectual Development
The formal operational stage : Thinking using logic and abstract through
processes adult thinking.

11+ yrs
Can solve complex problems in their head
Adult thinking using logic & abstract thought
Use concepts & everyday theories to go beyond experience
Thinking scientifically
Think through complex ideas without having to see pictures

6. Adulthood Intellectual Development
Some have attended higher education and develop their skills and knowledge in their
particular job area.
This continues throughout adulthood, e.g. learning new skills for a new job and
LIFELONG LEARNING is important for people who want to progress well in their career.
Many skills are also needed when a person leaves home and they need to know how to
live independently cooking, cleaning, managing a home and a budget are all
essential.
As adults age they do REACT MORE SLOWLY and find things more difficult to remember
under pressure.
However, they have experience and are better at solving problems and making
decisions.
When having children they develop the skill of having a work life, personal life and
become responsible for children and their schedules.
Peak of intellectual development.

7. Older Adulthood
Intellectual Development
Due to the deterioration of the nervous system, older people have difficulty
remembering things quickly.
Their reaction times are also slower.
They may make better decisions though as they have life experience
compared to a young adult.
Some find new interests to keep their mind stimulated.
Some older people become too confused to manage their own affairs, e.g.
dementia causes brain cells to stop functioning.

Delayed development potential causes
and effects
Delayed development happens when a baby or a young child has not shown
development within the expected time range,
The term is usually restricted to development within the first five years of
life,
Delayed development may be caused by issues such as:
1. Brain damage
2. Poor social interaction,
3. Disease,
4. Visual disability
5. Hearing disability
6. Poor nutrition
Delayed development potential causes
and effects
Developmental progress will be checked by health professionals such as
health visitors, although parents and GPs may be the first to notice problems,

Children who appear to have delayed development will be referred to
appropriate specialist for advice or therapy
Arrested Development
The term arrested development means development that has stopped,
The word arrest means to stop something or someone,
In the past people with severe mental disability were sometimes regarded as
arrested, but people with serious learning difficulty can develop and the
term arrested ca be argued to be misleading if used to refer to people with
learning difficulty or disability