RECENT TRENDS IN COGNITIVE ,

LANGUAGE AND
INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPMENT FROM
BIRTH TO ADOLESCENCE

)
 COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
 Cognition refers to the mental processes by which
knowledge is acquired, elaborated, stored,
retrieved, and used to solve problems

 Cognition includes processes like perception,

thinking, concept formation, abstraction and
problem solving.
 BASIC COMPONENTS OF PIAGET

THEORY

 Schema :- the basic building block of intelligent behavior

– a way of organizing knowledge.

 Adaptation Process :-Jean Piaget viewed intellectual

growth as a process of adaptation (adjustment) to the
world. This happens through:-
1. Assimilation
2. Accommodation
3. Equilibration
 Assimilation– Which is using an existing schema to
deal with a new object or situation.

 Accommodation– This happens when the existing

schema (knowledge) does not work, and needs to
be changed to deal with a new object or situation.

 Equilibration– occurs when a child's schemas can

deal with most new information through
assimilation.

 Equilibrium However, an unpleasant state of

disequilibrium occurs when new information cannot
be fitted into existing schemas (assimilation).
 Organization:- It is the process by which children
combine existing schemes into new and more complex
intellectual structures.

 It takes place internally apart from direct contact with the

environment and is both biological and psychological.
 SENSORIMOTOR STAGE ( Birth-2 years)
AGE CHARACTERISTICS

Birth – 2 months Simple Reflex Uses inborn motor and sensory

reflexes (sucking, grasping,
looking) to interact and
accommodate to the external
world

2-4 months Primary circular Children co-ordinates sensation

reactions / Habits and new schemas

4-8 months Secondary circular Child becomes more focused on

reactions the world and begins to
intentionally repeat an action in
order to trigger a response in the
environment
AGE CHARACTERISTICS
8 months – 1 year Coordination of Child starts to show clearly
reactions intentional actions. Children
begins exploring the environment
around them and will often
imitate the observed behaviors of
the others. understanding of
objects begins. Also begins to
recognize certain objects have
specific work.
1 year – 18 months Tertiary Period of trial and error
circulation reaction experimentation

18 months – 2 years Early Children begins to develop

representational though symbols to represent events or
objects in the world. Begins to
move towards understanding the
world through mental operations
rather than purely through
actions. child knowledge develops
by: Object permanence, causality
and symbolic play
 PREOPERATIONAL STAGE (2-7 years)

• This stage begins when the child starts to use symbols

and language. This is a period of developing language
and concepts. So, the child is capable of more complex
mental representations. He is still unable to use
'operations‘. This stage is further divided into 2 sub-
stages :
• Preconceptual stage (2-4 years) : Increased use of
verbal representation but speech is egocentric. The child
uses symbols to stand for actions; a toy doll stands for a
real baby or the child role plays mummy or daddy.
• Intuitive stage (4-7 years) : Speech becomes more
social, less egocentric. Here the child base their
knowledge on what they feel or sense to be true, yet
they cannot explain the underlying principles behind
what they feel or sense.
 KEY FEATURES OF THIS STAGE :
• Egocentrism: The child's thoughts and communications are
typically egocentric.(i.e, about themselves or their own
point of view).

• Animism: Treating inanimate objects as living ones. Eg.:

children dressing and feeding their dolls as if they are alive.

• Concentration: The process of concentrating on one limited

aspect of a stimulus and ignoring other aspects. It is
noticed in Conservation. Conservation on the other hand is
the knowledge that quantity is unrelated to the
arrangement and physical appearance of objects.
• Children at this stage are unaware of conservation.
 CONCRETE OPERATIONAL STAGE ( 7-11

years)
• The concrete operational stage is characterized by the
appropriate use of logic. Important processes during this
stage are :
• Seriation: The ability to sort objects in an order according
to size, shape or any other characteristic.

• Transitivity: The ability to recognize logical relationships

among elements in a serial order. Eg.: if A is taller than B
and B is taller than C, then A must be taller than C.
• Classification: The ability to group objects together on the
basis of common features. The child also begins to get the
idea that one set can include another. Eg.: there is a class
of objects called dogs. There is also a class called animals.
But all dogs are also animals, so the class of animals
includes that of dogs.
• Decentering: The ability to take multiple aspects of a
situation into account. Eg.: the child will no longer perceive
an exceptionally wide but short cup to contain less than a
normally-wide, taller cup.

• Reversibility: The child understands that numbers or

objects can be changed, then returned to their original
state.

• Conservation: Understanding that the quantity, length or

number of items is unrelated to the arrangement or
appearance of the object or item.

• Elimination of Egocentrism: The ability to view things from

another's perspective.
• The child performs operations: combining, separating,
multiplying, repeating, dividing etc.
 FORMAL OPERATION STAGE (11 years &

above)

• The thought becomes increasingly flexible and abstract, i.e,

can carry out systematic experiments.
• The ability to systematically solve a problem in a logical
and methodological way.
• Understands that nothing is absolute; everything is relative.
• Develops skills such as logical thought, hypothetico-
deductive reasoning.
• Understands that the rules of any game or social system
are developed by a man by mutual agreement and hence
could be changed or modified.
• The child's way of thinking is at its most advanced,
although the knowledge it has to work with, will change.
 INTELLIGENCE

• Intelligence derived from Latin word Intelligere which

means- to pick up or perceive.

• Intelligence is capacity for learning, reasoning,

understanding & similar forms of mental activity, aptitude
in grasping truths, relationships , facts , meaning etc.

• It is the ability to understand what is perceived , learned

and reasoned.
 GARDNER’S THEORY OF MULTIPLE

INTELLIGENCE
• This theory has emerged from recent cognitive research
and "documents the extent to which students possess
different kinds of minds and therefore learn, remember,
perform, and understand in different ways," according to
Gardner (1991).

• According to this theory, " all people able to know the

world through language, logical-mathematical analysis,
spatial representation, musical thinking, the use of the body
to solve problems or to make things, an understanding of
other individuals, and an understanding of ourselves.
• Howard Gardner of Harvard has identified seven distinct
intelligences:
• Visual-Spatial - think in terms of physical space, as do
architects and sailors. Very aware of their environments.
They like to draw, do jigsaw puzzles, read maps,
daydream. They can be taught through drawings, verbal
and physical imagery. Tools include models, graphics,
charts, photographs, drawings, 3-D modeling, video,
videoconferencing, television, multimedia, texts with
pictures/charts/graphs.

• Bodily-kinesthetic - use the body effectively, like a

dancer or a surgeon. Keen sense of body awareness.
They like movement, making things, touching. They
communicate well through body language and be
taught through physical activity, hands-on learning,
acting out, role playing. Tools include equipment and
real objects.
• Musical - show sensitivity to rhythm and sound. They love
music, but they are also sensitive to sounds in their
environments. They may study better with music in the
background. They can be taught by turning lessons into
lyrics, speaking rhythmically, tapping out time. Tools
include musical instruments, music, radio, stereo, CD-ROM,
multimedia.

• Interpersonal - understanding, interacting with others.

Each individual learn through interaction. They have many
friends, empathy for others, street smarts. They can be
taught through group activities, seminars, dialogues. Tools
include the telephone, audio conferencing, time and
attention from the instructor, video conferencing, writing,
computer conferencing, E-mail
• Intrapersonal - understanding one's own interests, goals.
These learners tend to shy away from others. They are in
tune with their inner feelings; they have wisdom, intuition
and motivation, as well as a strong will, confidence and
opinions. Tools include books, creative materials, diaries,
privacy and time. They are the most independent of the
learners.

• Linguistic - using words effectively. These learners have

highly developed auditory skills and often think in words.
They like reading, playing word games, making up poetry or
stories. They can be taught by encouraging them to say
and see words, read books together. Tools include
computers, games, multimedia, books, tape recorders, and
lecture.
• Logical -Mathematical - reasoning, calculating. Think
conceptually, abstractly and are able to see and explore
patterns and relationships.

• They like to experiment, solve puzzles, ask cosmic

questions.

• They can be taught through logic games, investigations,

mysteries. They need to learn and form concepts before
they can deal with details.
 LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
• Language development is the process by which children
come to understand and communicate language during
early childhood.

• From birth up to the age of five, children develop language

at a very rapid pace. The stages of language development
are universal among humans.

• In general girls develop language at a faster rate than

boys.

• Language development reflects the growth and maturation

of the brain.
• Receptive Language development (the ability to
comprehend language) usually develops faster than
expressive language (the ability to communicate).

• Two different styles of language development are

recognized.

• Referential language development, children first speak

single words and then join words together, first into two-
word sentences and then into three-word sentences.

• Expressive language development, children first speak in

long unintelligible babbles that mimic the cadence and
rhythm of adult speech. Most children use a combination
these styles.
 LANGUAGE’S RULES SYSTEMS
• Phonology:- The sound system of the language including
the sounds that are used and how they may be combined.

• Morphology:- It refers to the units of meaning involved in

world formation.

• Syntax:- It involves the way words are combined to form

acceptable phrases and sentences.

• Semantic:- It refers to the meaning of words.

• Pragmatics:- A final set of language rules involves

pragmatics, the appropriate use of language in different
context.
 LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT DURING

INFANCY
• Language development begins before birth. Towards the
end of pregnancy, a foetus begins to hear sounds and
speech coming from outside the mother's body.

• They also are very attentive to the human face, especially

when the face is talking.

• Although crying is a child's primary means of

communication at birth, language immediately begins to
develop via repetition and imitation.
Between birth and three months of age, most infants acquire
the following abilities:

• seem to recognize their mother's voice

• quiet down or smile when spoken to
• turn toward familiar voices and sounds
• make sounds indicating pleasure
• cry differently to express different needs
• begin to coo (repeating the same sounds frequently) in
response to voices
• make vowel-like sounds such as "ooh" and "ah“.
Between three and six months, most infants can do the
following:

• turn their head toward a speaker

• watch a speaker's mouth movements
• respond to changes in a tone of voice
• vocalize excitement, pleasure, and displeasure
• laugh, squeal, and sigh
• shape their mouths to change sounds
• vocalize different sounds for different needs
• communicate desires with gestures
• babble for attention
• mimic sounds, inflections, and gestures
• make many new sounds, including "p," "b," and "m," that
may sound almost speech-like
Six to 12 months is a crucial age for receptive language
development. Between six and nine months babies begin to
do the following:
• listen intently to speech and other sounds
• take an active interest in conversation even if it is not
directed at them
• recognize "dada," "mama," "bye-bye"
• consistently respond to their names
• respond appropriately to friendly and angry tones
• express their moods by sound and body language
• play with sounds
• make long, more varied sounds
• babble random combinations of consonants and vowels
• experiment with pitch, tone, and volume
• use their tongues to change sounds
Between nine and 12 months babies may begin to do
the following:

• recognize words for common objects and names

of family members
• respond to simple requests
• understand "no"
• understand gestures
• associate voices and names with people
• know their own names
• use sounds other than crying to get attention
• use "mama" and "dada" for any person
• shout and scream
• repeat sounds
• use most consonant and vowel sounds
• practice inflections
• engage in much vocal play
 TODDLER
• During the second year of life language development
proceeds at very different rates in different children.
• By the age of 12 months, most children use "mama/dada"
appropriately. They add new words each month and
temporarily lose words. Between 12 and 15 months children
begin to do the following:
• recognize names
• understand and follow one-step directions
• laugh appropriately
• use four to six intelligible words, usually those starting with
"b," "c," "d," and "g," although less than 20 percent of their
language is comprehensible to outsiders
• use partial words
• gesture and speak "no"
• ask for help with gestures and sounds
• At 15 to 18 months of age children usually do the following:

• understand "up," "down," "hot," "off"

• use 10 to 20 intelligible words, mostly nouns
• use complete words
• put two short words together to form sentences
• chatter and imitate, use some echolalia.
• have 20 to 25 percent of their speech understood by
outsiders
• At 18 to 24 months of age children usually do the following:

• follow two-step directions

• point to parts of the body
• attempt multi-syllable words
• speak three-word sentences
• ask two-word questions
• enjoy challenge words such as "helicopter"
• express pain verbally
• have 50 to 70 percent of their speech understood by
outsiders
Between two and three years of age children acquire:

• a 400-word vocabulary including names

• a word for most everything
• the use of pronouns
• three to five-word sentences
• the ability to describe what they just saw or experienced
• the use of the past tense and plurals
• names for body parts, colours, toys, people, and objects
• the ability to repeat rhymes, songs, and stories
• the ability to answer "what" questions.
 PRESCHOOL
Three to four-year-olds usually can do the following:

• understand most of what they hear

• converse
• have 900 to 1,000-word vocabularies, with verbs starting to
predominate
• usually talk without repeating syllables or words
• use pronouns correctly
• use three to six-word sentences
• ask questions
• relate experiences and activities
• tell stories (Occasional stuttering and stammering is
normal in preschoolers.)
Language skills usually blossom between four and five years
of age. Children of this age can do the following:

• verbalize extensively
• communicate easily with other children and adults
• articulate most English sounds correctly
• know 1,500 to 2,500 words
• use detailed six to eight-word sentences
• can repeat four-syllable words
• use at least four prepositions
• tell stories that stay on topic
• can answer questions about stories
 SCHOOL AGE
At age five most children can do the following:

• follow three consecutive commands

• talk constantly
• ask innumerable questions
• use descriptive words and compound and complex
sentences
• know all the vowels and consonants
• use generally correct grammar
• Six-year-olds usually can correct their own grammar and
mispronunciations.

• Most children double their vocabularies between six and

eight years of age and begin reading at about age seven. A
major leap in reading comprehension occurs at about nine.

• Ten-year-olds begin to understand figurative word

meanings.

• Adolescents generally speak in an adult manner, gaining

language maturity throughout high school.
 LANGUAGE ACQUISITION DEVICE
• Linguist Noam Chomsky proposed that humans biologically
prewired to learn language at a certain time and in certain
ways.

• He said that children are born into the world with a

Language Acquisition Device (LAD), a biological endowment
that enables the child to detect certain features and rules of
language, including phonology, syntax and semantics.

• He argues that Language Acquisition is an innate structure,

or function of the human brain.

• Children do not need any kind of formal teaching to learn

to speak.
THANK YOU!!!!