Cognitive Language Development

Cognitive, Social and Language Development
Everlyn Moore
Psy 101 Introduction to Psychology
Dr. Wendy Conaway
May 14, 2010

This paper will discuss cognitive, social and language development. Four articles will be summarized, and personal experiences will be discussed. The approach to the study of cognitive development by observation and analyzing mental processes in perceiving and handling information is known as information processing theory. (Papalia, Olds, Feldman, 2008) This theory is known as the framework that underlies a wide range of theories and research, and helps researchers determine the estimation of an infant’s later intelligence from the efficiency of their sensory perceptions and processing. (Papalia, Olds, Feldman, 2008)
Psychologists use this approach to test, diagnose and treat learning problems. (R.M. Thomas, 1996; Williams, 2001) Parents and teachers are able to use this approach to help children learn; making them more aware of their mental processes and ways to enhance them. (Papalia, Olds, Feldman, 2008) Some information processing theorists use the comparison of the brain to computers because sensory impressions go in and behavior comes out. (Papalia, Olds, Feldman, 2008) Cognition is the process involved in thinking and mental activity, such as attention, memory and problem solving. There are many theories of development in humans.
Dietary Patterns in Infancy and Cognitive and Neuropsychological function in Childhood
After extensive research and study of 241 children at the age of four years old, in developing countries it was found that improvising of young children’s diets benefited their cognitive development. (Gale, Marlyn, Marriott, Kimond, 2009) A child’s whose diet in infancy that had high consumption of fruits and vegetables and home-prepared foods held a higher I Q and better memory performances. In conclusion, it is suggested that dietary patterns in infancy may affect cognitive development and can possibly reflect the influence of unmeasured factors. (Gale, Marlyn, Marriott, Kimond, 2009)
Parental Involvement, Parenting Behaviors, and Children and Cognitive Development in Low-Income and Minority Families
Parental involvement in Head Start, parent-focused programs a provision of low-income children and parents with preschool and parental programs preventive and medical services. Head Start programs goal was to increase parental involvement and parental skills of parents could better stimulate their children’s linguistics cognitive, social and emotional growth. Intervention is provided so parents can learn to facilitate their children’s cognitive and social development (Conners, Edwards, and Grant, 2006) Parental involvement in Head Start’s socialization, or support group meetings have a longitudinal effect on five parenting behaviors of mothers. Parental involvement for children’s academic performance is widely accepted. Children whose parents are actively involved in their children’s education perform better in reading, writing and behavior. (Conners, Edwards, and Grant, 2006) The encouragement of positive parental involvement is especially important for children from low-income, ethnic-minority and language- minority backgrounds. Parental involvement may provide additional benefits for language minority groups of fostering cultural assimilation for the family. (Conners, Edwards, and Grant, 2006) From personal experience, Head Start develops a relationship between the mother, child and social services advocate to improve language and cognitive development. It can provide work or school and enhance social skills. The parenting classes helped offer group socialization, and support group meetings, early childhood education curriculum, behavior, guidance, health and nutrition, violence, prevention, early literacy skills and activities and transition to kindergarten.

Learning strategies of public health nursing students: conquering operational space
How professionals perform their work can affect individuals. The lack of knowledge can interfere how learning is connected to the understanding of their clinical practice in public health. (Hjälmhult, 2009) The students used grounded theory; a research method that operates almost in a reverse fashion from traditional research and at first may appear to be in contradiction of the scientific method, to gather and analyze 55 interviews and 108 weekly reports. (Hjälmhult, 2009) Public health nursing students’ learning processes in clinical training is complex and dynamic and the theory of 'Conquering operational space' can assist supervisors in further developing their role in relation to guiding students in practice. Relationships are one key to opening or closing access to situations of learning and directly affect the student’s achievement of mastering. (Hjälmhult, 2009)
Infant Growth and Child Cognition at Three Years of Age
Infancy is a very critical period for brain development. (Belfort, Edwards, 2008) Nutrition plays a role in feeding children’s brains and can affect the development of the brain at an early age; poor nutrition during the first three years can permanently interfere with a child’s mental development. (Dykman, Pivik, 2003) The transition from infancy to toddlerhood is a critical period, growth in height and weight are at their fastest during the first few months, and teething occurs, body shape and proportions change. (Papalia, Olds, Feldman) A variety of feeling regimens allow babies to grow normally and stay healthy. Breastfeeding has been around since the beginning of time, when the mother was not capable to do so; she could find a wet nurse, a woman who breastfeeds a baby that is not her own, also known as cross-nursing. (Papalia, Olds, Feldman) Wet nursing is a method was known to cause deaths in infants and mothers. (Fontanel & d’Harcourt, 1997, p.99) After trial and error, formula feeding became the norm in the U.S. By 2001, a reversal of the formula a feeding trend came, 69.5% of mothers started to breast feed again. (Papalia, Olds, Feldman)
Proper growth and health also depends on good nutrition and adequate sleep; preschool needs are different from infancy and toddlerhood.
If preschoolers are not active enough, they are more likely to become over weight and develop sleep related problems. Without proper nutrition, obesity began ruling the world. (Papalia, Olds, Feldman)
It is proven that a good nutrition is essential for the health, growth, weight and development of children. It provides them with the brain food they need to survive. There are many programs, and companies that have teamed up to help fight against malnutrition, a state of poor nutrition. Malnutrition is a concern not only in the United States, but in many third world countries too. (Papalia, Olds,
Feldman) In conclusion to the articles and their summarization, it is proven that there are many theories of development in humans. Information processing, The approach to the study of cognitive development by observation and analyzing mental processes in perceiving and handling information is known as information processing theory. (Papalia, Olds, Feldman, 2008) This theory is known as the framework that underlies a wide range of theories and research, and helps researchers determine the estimation of an infant’s later intelligence from the efficiency of their sensory perceptions and processing. (Papalia, Olds, Feldman, 2008)Psychologists use this approach to test, diagnose and treat learning problems. (R.M. Thomas, 1996; Williams, 2001) Parents and teachers are able to use this approach to help children learn; making them more aware of their mental processes and ways to enhance them. (Papalia, Olds, Feldman, 2008) Some information processing theorists use the comparison of the brain to computers because sensory impressions go in and behavior comes out. (Papalia, Olds, Feldman, 2008) Although information processing approach focuses on perception, learning, memory and problem solving; it also seeks the discovery of children’s use of information from the time they encounter it, until they use it.
Behaviorism, A mechanistic theory which describes observed behavior as a predictable response to experience. Behaviorists view the environment more influential. Behaviorists believe humans learn just as other organism’s do, by reacting to conditions of the environment, Behaviorists look for events that determine if a particular behavior will repeat itself. Behavioral research focuses on associative learning, and a mental link that forms between two kinds of associative learning are classical and operant conditioning. (Papalia, Olds, Feldman, 2008)
Many principles of Social learning theory were developed by psychologist, Albert Bandura. Social learning theory maintains that people learn appropriate social behavior by observation and imitation models, by watching other people by a process of observational learning. People tend to choose important advancement of learning by choosing a model to intimate; this element is how children learn languages, deal with aggression develop moral senses and learn gender behaviors. The determination of the specific behavior depends upon how a person perceives values in their culture. (Papalia, Olds, Feldman, 2008) Bandura’s newest version of social learning theory; social cognitive theory, reflected his increasing emphasis on cognitive processes. Cognitive perspective focuses on thought processes and the behavior reflecting those processes. Most children’s thinking concepts come from the work of the Swiss theoretician, Jean Piaget (1896- 1980) Piaget’s theory was the forerunner of “cognitive revolution” with an emphasis on mental processes. His clinical methods combined observation with flexible questioning and he described cognitive development in four qualitatively different stages and the growth occurs through three interrelated processes: organization, adaptation and equilibration. (Papalia, Olds, Feldman, 2008)

Reference
Belfort, M., Rifas-Shiman, S., Rich Edwards, J., Kleinman, K., Oken, E., & Gillman, M...
(2008). Infant Growth and Child Cognition at 3 Years of Age. Pediatrics, 122(3), E689. Retrieved May 1, 2010, from Career and Technical Education.
Chang, M., Park, B., Singh, K., & Sung, Y... (2009). Parental Involvement, Parenting
Behaviors, and Children's Cognitive Development in Low-Income and Minority Families. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 23(3), 309-324. Retrieved: May 1, 2010 from Research Library.
Gale, C., Martyn, C., Marriott, L., Limond, , Crozier, S., Inskip, H., Godfrey, K., Law, C., Cooper, C., & Robinson, S.. (2009). Dietary patterns in infancy and cognitive and neuropsychological function in childhood. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 50(7), 816-823. Retrieved: May 2, 2010, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1746619551)
Hjälmhult, E.. (2009). Learning strategies of public health nursing students: conquering operational space. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 18(22), 3136. Retrieved: May 1, 2010, from ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source.
Papalia, D. E., Olds, Wendkos S., Feldman, Duskin R. (2008). A Child's World: Infancy through Adolescence (11th Ed.) New York: McGraw-Hill.
Siegler, R.S. & Alibali-Wagner. (2005). Children are Thinking (4th Ed.) Upper Saddle
River: Prentice
Hall.