Cognitive development – relationships between theories and pedagogy

Introduction

Children’s development process from new-borns to adults is extremely complicated,

so professionals working in the education field demand strong knowledge and proper

teaching methodologies to increase and optimise the growth of each child. Domains are

defined in the process of child development as distinct parts of an individual’s growth and

change; in particular, science has identified four main domains of development, which are

applied to examine children’s development in areas such as language, social-emotional,

physical, and cognitive development (Allen et al., 2015, pp. 85–87). Children frequently

experience significant and visible changes in a single area at a time, and cognitive

development is the component most closely related to a child’s intellectual development in

the future, especially during early childhood, playing a significant role in children’s future

education as it is a natural foundation of children’s knowledge (Wang & Wang, 2015). As

such, this essay will concentrate on a critical discussion of cognitive development, utilising

recent literature and empirical research to substantiate the paper’s arguments. Simultaneously,

this essay also illustrates Piaget’s theory, one of the most influential works on children’s

cognitive development, as well as demonstrating the connection between theory, children’s

cognitive development, and proper teaching pedagogical.

Cognitive development’s aspects and the relationship with children’s development

In general, cognitive development means the process of children developing their

thinking and perception towards the world from the beginning of their early years until their

adulthood (Kuther, 2020). Cognitive development is critical for children’s growth since it

affects their future thinking level; hence, it is evaluated as one of the primary vital aspects

defining children capacity to receive and understand knowledge and outside information
during children’s learning processes. When children’s cognitive domain is effectively

nurtured for current and future development, children can exhibit higher mental processes, as

evidenced by enhanced problem-solving, planning, creativity, categorisation, and memory

capacities (Siegler, 2021). Specifically, cognitive development has an effect on children’s

language capacity since it impacts children’s memory, and language requires memory to

accumulate knowledge (Rose et al., 2010). For instance, research has evidenced that ensuring

cognitive development in children during their first years of life results in improved memory

ability, which enables infants to more easily associate with language and continue language

acquisition in the future, as these babies are able to encode and retrieve information more

quickly, which is a vital element for their future educational development (Rose et al., 2010).

In particular, the cognitive-developmental domain of infants and toddlers is essential

for their education since young children have the potential to grow cognitively, naturally, and

articulately from an early age, which impacts their future thinking while conducting

education (Allen et al., 2015, pp. 85–87). A study conducted by Allen and co-workers in 2015

combined research from around the world and elucidates that the cognitive development of

infants and toddlers is extraordinary as they have language capacities from the earliest years

of life due to their ability to hear the language of others around them and construct their first

language. Similarly, Langus and Nespor (2013) also verify that babies can recognise the tone

of the original language spoken by surrounded people around them, and young children can

differentiate between various languages. Furthermore, the cognitive development of children

and toddlers enables them to develop implicit theories to explain phenomena and human

behaviour in everyday life; hence, children develop a strong foundation for future learning

through more advanced knowledge of the world (Allen et al., 2015, pp. 85–87). Likewise,

Bransford’s earlier study in 2000 has established that young children are perceptive to what

they might learn by observing others’ behaviours, actions, and speech. Another contemporary
research has also supported Bransford’s study by surveying children aged 16 months to 4

years, displaying that they naturally imitate those around them, such as parents and teachers,

during their learning and playing (Jones, 2016). Therefore, cognitive development among

young children enables them to acquire rudimentary knowledge such as biology and primitive

arithmetic from their observations, thereby assisting infants and toddlers in gradually

developing their memory levels and supplementing their future learning (Bransford, 2000, pp.

80–85; Jones, 2016)

Besides young children’s independent explorations, social and cultural surroundings

also influence their cognitive development because early children’s cognitive development is

influenced by their interactions with adults, such as parents and teachers, within their

environmental settings. Children experience both positive and negative responses to their

environment, which affects young children’s cognitive development, learning process, and

interaction with others in the future (Allen et al., 2015, pp. 85–87). For example, research

validates that the positive interactions, such as conversation and intimate actions conducted

by parents and teachers, towards babies and toddlers will assist young children’s cognitive

development within the language acquisition obtained through interactions, which benefits

their later education process (Murray & Egan, 2013). The cognitive development of young

children is the result of cumulative interactions with the environment in both a negatively and

positively manner, so a negative environment harms children’s cognitive development (Ruiz

et al., 2016). Research reveals that infants and toddlers exposed to unfavourable social

interactions in their surroundings, including poor behaviour of parents and teachers, regularly

demonstrate limited cognitive development compared to those who interact in a better

environment (Ruiz et al., 2016).

Piaget’s theory of cognitive development and Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory

The above discussion illustrates two main aspects of young children’s cognitive

development that cognitive-developmental domain can both come from young children’s

independent explorations and their interactions with the social environments, which are the

foundation for two closely related theories of children’s cognitive development: Piaget’s

theory of cognitive development and Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. Cognitive development

developed by Piaget is a theory on the typical phases of intellectual development from

childhood to maturity; it encompasses the thinking and reasoning processes, as well as the

knowledge of young children (Ansorge, 2021). Sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete

operational, and formal operational phases are four phases of this theory’s normal

development (Ansorge, 2021). According to Piaget, children’s cognitive development must

always follow one of the four sequences he established, and this order cannot be discarded

(Ansorge, 2021). Every stage is distinguished by the growth of different intellectual

capacities and a more sophisticated view of the world (Ansorge, 2021).

Overall, Piaget has established that babies naturally seek stimulation from their

surroundings to advance their intellectual development and that their early perceptions of

their surrounded world, which only emerges themselves throughout the first two years

(Bransford, 2000, pp. 80–85). He also has concluded that infants and toddlers’ current and

future worlds are a synthesis of inner and outside worlds and that early children actively

create their knowledge by manipulation and exploration of the world using a combination of

sight, hearing, and touch (Bransford, 2000, pp. 80–85). Especially, other research and

theories also emphasise that Piaget’s cognitive development theory has a strong relationship

with young children physical brain development as the brain growth has a collocation with

cognitive changes since efficient brain development supports the transition of Piaget’s

cognitive development stages (Crone & Richard Ridderinkhof, 2011).

 Cognitive development of children aged 0 to 2 years is classified as the first stage of

Piaget’s theory, which is sensorimotor; however, the chances of young children from new-

born to 2 years old are significant, so Piaget has divided this stage into six sub-stages

corresponding to different age segments and cognitive development. In particular, according

to Piaget, new-borns in their early stages of cognitive development know next to nothing

because they can only observe and perceive the activity around them; however, infants still

continuously explore their environment by gripping, tossing, and placing items in their

mouths (Ansorge, 2021). As young children grow beyond the age of nine months, the crucial

milestone of memory development occurs, as seen by babies beginning to wonder when items

are concealed or when strangers are around, or loved ones are out of sight (Malik &

Marwaha, 2020). By the time toddlers reach the age of 18 to 24 months, they have developed

substantial physical mobility and cognition, as well as developed frontal lobes; at this point,

children have attained the goal of language development (Ansorge, 2021). For example,

young children of this age are already capable of exploring toys and manipulating them by

pressing buttons, guessing the location of hidden things, and inexpensively imitating actions

and language sounds (Malik & Marwaha, 2020).

Nevertheless, this page synthesises the views of scientists’ critical review and

concludes that, while Piaget’s theory is an excellent and critical basis for human cognitive

development, it nonetheless has flaws as Piaget has grossly underestimated the cognitive

potential of infants (Babakr et al., 2019). Simultaneously, Piaget’s theory has omitted

consideration of the social and cultural interaction elements impacting children’s cognitive

development, which are central to Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory (Babakr et al., 2019).

However, Piaget’s contributions to the process of children education laid the groundwork for

further study, which is still followed by numerous professionals today (Babakr et al., 2019).
 Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory focuses on social factors that affect children’s

cognitive development, while he also acknowledges internal development. This theory

explains that children’s cognitive development is influenced by culture and society in such a

way that children absorb most of the knowledge, experiences, and content interacted through

surrounding people, including parents and teachers, thereby developing awareness over time

(Morin, 2012). Especially the first two years of life is the period that has the most notable

influence on young children’s cognitive development (Morin, 2012). Vygotsky’s theory’s

primary focus is promoting parent-teacher interaction with children to promote children’s

cognitive development and learning potential. However, Piaget’s theory argues that young

children are capable of their self- cognitive development and that teachers’ intervention can

control and influence their development process (Lumen Learning, 2019). Specifically, the

highlight of Vygotsky’s theory also emphasises that young children’s cognitive development

is accompanied by language development because infants and toddlers acquire language

through the interacting process with people around them, such as parents and teachers; this is

an under-reported aspect of Piaget’s theory (Mcleod, 2020). Similarly, with Vygotsky’s theory

stating that the interaction with society and culture is the decisive condition for cognitive

development of children, contemporary research has verified that positive interaction, for

example, support and aids from teachers towards children, will assist babies’ cognitive

development while learning (Moore, 2012).

The relationship between two theories and pedagogy

The relationship between Piaget’s theory, Vygotsky’s theory, young children cognitive-

developmental domain, and pedagogy is significant; research has revealed that teachers who

implement the combination of these two theories properly can optimise cognitive

development of young children, especially throughout the first two years of life (Blake &

Pope, 2008). Firstly, teachers who apply Piaget’s theory successfully will find out how to
apply the proper pedagogy approach for young children with children-centred teaching by

conducting practical activities within the caring process. For example, teachers should create

conditions for young children to learn through play by promoting imaginative activities and

exercises that use babies’ thoughts, thereby giving children the opportunity to explore on their

own to develop cognitive (Kuther, 2020). Suggested pedagogy activities for children aged 0

to 2 to help them learn while playing include playing with magnetic tiles and specific shape

toys, which apply Piaget’s theory that this pedagogy brings opportunities for young children

to have their self-choice, discovery, constructive process, as well as having self-directed,

thereby developing children’s cognitive (Lockhart, 2011). In particular, pedagogy should

combine specific activities with a particular emphasis on babies’ inquiring cognitive abilities,

which includes allowing children to put shapes into holes, allowing children to hold different

or similar objects, and mild clay into distinct shapes; this pedagogy method will build their

ability for experimentation and a sense of the permanency of their objects, so boosting their

cognitive development (Blake & Pope, 2008). Especially, teachers’ childcare methods should

be more flexible and adaptable; teachers should avoid exposing young children to activities

they are not yet capable of since Piaget’s theory emphasises the need for children to achieve

proficiency at a specific level before progressing to the next (Ansorge, 2021). Therefore,

teachers must be flexible and accept the differences in each child’s cognitive development

during the teaching and caring process; consequently, teachers’ assessments should be based

on the process of children’s contact, exploration, and self-learning, rather than on the

outcomes of the activities in which children participate (Slavin, 2018, pp. 41–43).

Secondly, teachers’ pedagogy for young children also needs to be combined with

Vygotsky’s theory. Teachers must use caution in their behaviours to prevent introducing

negative influences from young children’s imitations of their external surroundings, and

teachers must foster an environment that is both pleasant and positive. According to two
theories, the teacher’s pedagogical approach should involve greater interaction with infants

and toddlers during the care process while still allowing children to discover and learn for

themselves. Teachers should guide and play with children initially, and then facilitate their

interaction with other babies and explore their own games, rather than tutoring and assisting

exclusively towards young children; this pedagogy can contribute to transferring

responsibility to children, thereby fostering their cognitive development (Morin, 2012). For

instance, teachers can talk to children more with greater communication and interaction with

children during the child care process. When children are exposed to shapes, teachers should

repeat and talk to children about the names of shapes to both aid children imitate and helping

them recognise language to promote future cognitive development. Enhancing interaction

also aids in the development of language in children, particularly between the ages of one and

two years, when babies have steadily gained cognition and memory while paying close

attention to language development; even at this age, infants and toddlers can only babble and

cannot form a phrase (Morin, 2012). Especially, Vygotsky’s theory in the area of interaction

and language development, which assisted in the formation of cognitive development, has

gained widespread support and endorsement from other research (Morin, 2012). To conclude,

the combination of both theories gives teachers an appropriate pedagogy approach, thereby

helping to optimise the development of young children at the most critical age, from 0 to 2

years old.

Conclusion

Through collecting empirical research and literature sources, this paper has discussed the

cognitive-developmental domain among young children, those aged from 0 to 2 in particular.

Meanwhile, this paper also discusses two significant theories within the development of

cognitive domain: Piaget’s theory of cognitive development and Vygotsky’s sociocultural

theory, thereby making the relationship between two theories and pedagogy and providing
specific recommended activities for teachers during the caring process. The two theories

above have outstanding contributions to children’s cognitive development, and the correct

application of these two theories will help teachers develop the most suitable pedagogy

methods for children.

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