DAVAO CENTRAL COLLEGE,

INC.
Juan dela Cruz Street, Toril, Davao City
Landline No. (082) 291 1882
Accredited by ACSCU-ACI

Unit 4: Development of the Learners at Various Stage

Topic: Cognitive Development of Infants and Toddlers

Learning outcomes:
1. Trace the development of infants and toddlers.
2. Identify factors that enhance/impede the cognitive
development of infants and toddlers.

Concept Digest

Introduction
Babies are not only growing physically during the
first 2 years of life, but also cognitively (mentally).
Every day while they interact with and learn about their
environment, they are creating new connections and pathways
between nerve cells both within their brains, and between
their brains and bodies. While physical growth and change is
easily observed and measured in precise terms such as in
inches and pounds, cognitive change and development is a
little harder to determine as clearly. Therefore, much about
what experts know about mental and cognitive development is
based on the careful observation of developmental theorists
and their theories, such as Piaget's theory of cognitive
development and Erickson's psychosocial stages.
Bronfenbrenner's ecological model also helps explain infant
mental growth to some extent.

Activity
Title: Look at them
Things to do:
1. Observe an infant, or toddler. It can be your
brother, sister, nephew or nieces in your
neighborhood.
2. Answer the following questions briefly (2-3 sentences)

Questions Answers

1. Based on your
observations trace
the language
development of the
observed child.

2. It is said that
children learn
language faster
than adults. Why is

PED. 1 Prepared by: Karla Jane Noriega LPT. , CAR

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 DAVAO CENTRAL COLLEGE,
INC.
Juan dela Cruz Street, Toril, Davao City
Landline No. (082) 291 1882
Accredited by ACSCU-ACI

this so? Explain

Sensorimotor Development
Children go through a period of dramatic growth and
learning. As kids interact with their environment, they are
continually making new discoveries about how the world
works. The cognitive development that occurs during this
period takes place over a relatively short period of time
and involves a great deal of growth. Children not only learn
how to perform physical actions such as crawling and
walking; they also learn a great deal about language from
the people with whom they interact. Piaget also broke this
stage down into a number of different substages. It is
during the final part of the sensorimotor stage that early
representational thought emerges. See the picture below

Object Permanence
The term "object permanence" is used to describe a
child's ability to know that objects continue to exist even
though they can no longer be seen or heard. If you have ever
played a game of "peek-a-boo" with a very young child, then
you probably understand how this works. When an object is
hidden from sight, infants under a certain age often become
upset that the item has vanished. This is because they are
too young to understand that the object continues to exist
even though it cannot be seen.
The concept of object permanence plays a significant role in
the theory of cognitive development created by psychologist
Jean Piaget. In the sensorimotor stage of development, a
period that lasts from birth to about age two, Piaget

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 DAVAO CENTRAL COLLEGE,
INC.
Juan dela Cruz Street, Toril, Davao City
Landline No. (082) 291 1882
Accredited by ACSCU-ACI

suggested that children understand the world through their

motor abilities such as touch, vision, taste, and movement.
During early infancy, babies are extremely egocentric. They
have no concept that the world exists separate from their
point of view and experience. To understand that objects
continue to exist even when they are unseen, infants must
first develop a mental representation of the object.

Language development
Here are just a few of the important things your child might
achieve in language development between three months and
eight years.
 3-12 months
In this period, the baby will most likely coo and laugh,
play with sounds and begin to communicate with gestures like
waving. Babbling is an important developmental stage during
the first year. Babbling is often followed by the ‘jargon
phase’ where your child might sound like they’re talking or
having a conversation. At this stage, though, this ‘speech’
doesn’t mean anything. First words often start by around 12
months. You might hear babbling, jargon and new words
together as your child gets closer to saying first words. If
the baby isn’t babbling and isn’t using gestures by 12
months, talk to your GP or child and family health nurse or
another health professional.
Find out more about language development from 3-12 months.
 12-18 months
At this age, children often say their first words with
meaning. For example, when your child says ‘Dada’, your
child is actually calling for dad. In the next few months,
your child will keep adding more words to their vocabulary.
Your child can understand more than they can say and can
follow simple instructions too. For example, your child can
understand you when you say ‘No’ – although they won’t
always obey!
 18 months to 2 years
In your child’s second year, their vocabulary has grown and
they’ll start to put two words together into short
‘sentences’. Your child will understand much of what you
say, and you can understand what your child says to you
(most of the time!).

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 DAVAO CENTRAL COLLEGE,
INC.
Juan dela Cruz Street, Toril, Davao City
Landline No. (082) 291 1882
Accredited by ACSCU-ACI

Language development varies hugely, but if the child doesn’t

have some words by around 18 months, talk to your GP or
child and family health nurse or another health
professional.
Learning and Remembering
Do infants learn and Remember? The answer is Yes!
Pavlov’s classical condition and skinner’s operant
conditioning have been proven to apply infants. All of us
experience infantile amnesia, the inability to recall events
that happened when we were very young (Spear 1979). In
Psychosexual theorist Sigmund Freud, he called it Childhood
amnesia. Not all the things that we can recalled, but those
memories will be shown to our conscious and subconscious
mind. Based on my personal experienced I recalled events in
my childhood one of those when I was two years of age. That
event is not a happy one, that was the time my grandfather
passed away that all the members of the family, closed
relatives and friends mourned. I remember my father carried
me and I was asked to see my grandfather for the last time.
How do I know that I was two years old? I traced the date of
death of my grandfather, and I conceptualized that I was
only two-year-old on that time.
A Summary of What Infants and Toddlers Can Do Cognitively
Domain: Language, Pre reading and Pre- Math
Language (Receptive Language)
0-6 months
 Watches primary caregiver intently as she speaks to
him/her
7-12 months
 Understands “No”
 Points to family member when asked to do so
13-18 months
 Points to 5 body parts on him/herself when asked to do
so
 Follows one-step instruction without need for gestures
19-24 months
 Points to 5 named pictured objects when asked to do so

PED. 1 Prepared by: Karla Jane Noriega LPT. , CAR

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 DAVAO CENTRAL COLLEGE,
INC.
Juan dela Cruz Street, Toril, Davao City
Landline No. (082) 291 1882
Accredited by ACSCU-ACI

Language (Expressive Language)

the child is able to use words and gestures to express
his thoughts and feelings.
0-6 months
 Makes gurgling, cooing, babbling or other vocal sounds
 Uses gestures (e.g., stretching his/her arms, pointing)
to indicate what he/she wants
7-12 months
 Repeats sounds produce by others
 Says meaningful words like papa, mama, to refer to
specific persons
 Uses animal sounds to identify objects/events in the
environment (e, g., boom for thunder)
13-18 months
 Speaks in single words
 Says ‘yes’ and no appropriately
 Uses words accompanied by gestures to indicate what
he/she wants
 Responds to simple questions with single words
19-24 months
 Uses pronouns
 Uses possessive pronouns
 Says what he/she wants without accompanying this
gesture
 Attempts to converse even if he cannot be clearly
understood
Pre-Reading and Pre-Math (Matching)
The child is able to match identical objects, colors,
shapes, symbols.
7-12 months
 Able to match identical objects (e.g. 2 spoons 2 balls)
19-24 months
 Matches identical objects
 Matches identical pictures

Higher-Order Mental Abilities (Concept Formation)

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 DAVAO CENTRAL COLLEGE,
INC.
Juan dela Cruz Street, Toril, Davao City
Landline No. (082) 291 1882
Accredited by ACSCU-ACI

The child develops basic concepts pertaining to object

constancy, space, time quantity, etc. and uses these as the
basis for understanding how materials are categorized in
his/her environment.
0-6 months
 Experiments with new objects or toys by banging or
putting then in his mouth
 Looks in the direction of a fallen object
7-12 months
 Looks partially hidden objects
 Looks for completely hidden objects
13- 18 months
 Can tell whether something is hot or cold
 Hands over 1 object when asked
19-24 months
 Can tell which is shorter of two items
 Can tell which is taller/longer of 2 items
 Can tell which is bigger of 2 items
 Can tell which is nearer of 2 items
Higher Ordered Mental Abilities
The child is able to understand the cause-effect
relationships.
19-24- months
 Enjoys constructing objects or structures out of
manipulative toys (e.g., blocks, clay, paper)
 Uses toys or objects as symbols in play (e.g., pretends
empty milk can is a drum)
 Can use the same toys or object in more than one way
(e.g., empty box as house)
Several psychologists claim that babies need to be
stimulated and challenged in order to grow and develop on a
cognitive level. Specific activities, practiced on a regular
basis, stimulate an infant’s cognitive growth. Studies show
that when parents, teachers and caregivers talk more to
children and asks any questions, they create more
stimulating language environments for their children.

References:

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 DAVAO CENTRAL COLLEGE,
INC.
Juan dela Cruz Street, Toril, Davao City
Landline No. (082) 291 1882
Accredited by ACSCU-ACI

 Borabo, H.D. et.al (2018) Child and adolescent learning

and principles. Quezon City; Lorimar Publishing INC.
 Berger, K. S (2005) The Developing person through life
span (6th ed.). New York: worth
 The Philippines Early and Development Standards (ELDS)
formulated by the Child and Welfare Council now merged
with the Early Childhood Care and Development Council)

PED. 1 Prepared by: Karla Jane Noriega LPT. , CAR

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 DAVAO CENTRAL COLLEGE,
INC.
Juan dela Cruz Street, Toril, Davao City
Landline No. (082) 291 1882
Accredited by ACSCU-ACI

Name: Score:

My Future Self Activity Sheet

Question:

Based on Piaget’s sensorimotor stage reflect on how you as

a future parent or nursery teacher can do to:

1. enhance infant and toddler’s cognitive development

2. impede infants and toddler’s cognitive development

1.

2.

PED. 1 Prepared by: Karla Jane Noriega LPT. , CAR

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