Piaget's Cognitive Analysis

Cognitive development "addresses the expansion of a child's intellect or mental abilities. [It also] involves recognizing, processing, and organizing information and then using it appropriately" (Martoz pg. 39). Cognitive development uses mental strategies of classifying, sorting, exploring, depicting, and manipulating. Piaget's contribution to the cognitive domain holds that "cognitive development is an ongoing process of interaction between the child and his perceptual view of objects or events in the environment" (Martoz pg. 39). The early stages of the cognitive domain are seen in young children when they begin to imitate and mimic their parents. A simple mimic of sticking out one's tongue or blinking one's eyes in a pattern is a form of
early cognitive development identified in young children. Cognitive development stems from the brain to develop "the mental process of acquiring knowledge using reasoning, intuition, or perception" (Kostenlik pg. 332).
Reagan's cognitive development, based on the Behavior and Development textbook and the milestone's checklist is within the norm of his age.
Reagan tracks the movement of a toy that is moving around the room with his eyes. He can follow the movement of the toy and retrieve it. Reagan has shown this cognitive skill throughout the observations that were conducted. Although Reagan didn't always listen to simple commands such as "no" and "don't cross the line" most often, Reagan was told to do something Reagan would understand it and for the most part follow the instructions that were given. These actions for a young child his age is within the norm of the milestone checklist. Reagan was also observed following the edge of the carpet with his eyes while carrying out the action of walking in circles. Reagan could successfully use hand-eye coordination to follow the edge of the carpet with his eyes and keep his actions and movements to the same direction with his body. Above all Reagan mostly showed signs of cause and effect relationships with objects and their outcomes. Such as when the teacher turned on the lights after nap time he knew that the cause of flipping the light switch caused the overhead lights to turn on. He communicated to me through his actions and words that he connected the cause and effect by pointing to the overhead light switch while having a surprised and joyful facial expression while saying "lights" repeatedly. Again, Reagan was seen using the cause and
effect relationship by pointing to the cd player when he wants to listen, dance, and clap to music. He knew that the music he hears comes from the cd player and communicated this by pointing to the cd player, saying please, and anticipating the noise that would soon come from it. Reagan also played with a twist and turn farm animal toy. Reagan again showed signs of cause and effect relationships by pulling the twist lever of the toy and anticipating the noises that would soon come as he was seen sitting and waiting for the noise to come just as he did with the doorbell on the playhouse. Reagan also very much enjoyed playing hide and go seek, using auditory processing that promotes the language and literacy domain. And finally, Reagan also shows the relationship of cause and effect by his use of "identity". Reagan often will put on a puppy mask and knows that he is "Reagan" when he is not wearing it and can easily "temporarily" change that identity to a puppy by putting the mask on. Reagan shows the cause and effect relationship with the puppy mask by saying "roof, roof" when he puts the puppy mask on and "becoming Reagan again" once it is taken off. Through these actions displayed and recorded from the observation of Reagan, everything recorded in his cognitive development lines up with the milestones checklist and the textbook for his age. Concluding that Reagan’s cognitive development is within the norm of his age group.
As recorded above, Reagan often used auditory processing, cause and effect relationships, and the use of Jean Piaget's Sensorimotor stage within his Stages of Cognitive Development theory.
In addition, Reagan uses symbolic representation in the use of pretend play, Reading readiness, and a temporary change in his identity within gender identity. The CHC theory defines auditory processing, within cognitive development, as "the ability to discriminate, recognize, and comprehend oral information" (Lynch pg. 88). The use of singing songs and playing games such as peek a boo help with the promotion of auditory processing. This repetition of sound and memory patterns built these skills and develops the ability to read and develop within the language literacy domain. The use of cause and effect can be led back to the CHC theory also, within the subject of fluid intelligence. This fluid intelligence "involves the ability to solve novel problems and make predictions about logical patterns and relationships" (Lynch pg. 87). The use of fluid intelligence incorporates strongly the use of cause and effect relationships by linking, predicting, sequencing, and determining what comes next, the outcome of an action or event that occurs. Reagan's cognitive domain is associated with Jean Piaget's Sensorimotor stage. This sensorimotor stage stems from His Cognitive-Development Theory. This stage of the theory falls within the age of birth-2 years of age. This stage incorporates the use of
behavior that gradually and eventually gives way to actions that become intentional. Through this stage "children explore and discover the world around themselves primarily through their senses, and the begin to learn that they have the power to control some elements in their environment" (Martoz pg. 6). Reagan follows this theory by connecting thoughts by making sense of them through his senses such as sight and touch. Reagan also is seen, through the play with the puppy mask and pulling the lever of a turn and twist sound toy, that he can control the effect of his action. Reagan makes sense of his discovery through this stage by creating "mental patterns or categories that. . . [is used] for organizing and storing information" (Martoz pg. 6). This mental category is defined by the word Schema that is then processed through assimilation, defined as "the process of incorporating new information into pre-existing schema" (Martoz pg. 6). The use of schema and assimilation is then processed through "modifying preconceived schema or forming additional schema based on new information" (Martoz pg. 6). The period of disequilibrium then occurs as confusion arises when information does not fit within an existing schema. And finally, the use of equilibrium is created by the process of accommodation to alleviate conflict. Reagan then uses symbolic representation used within Piaget's preoperational stage of cognitive development as he uses one of the wheels of wheeled toy as a "steering wheel" that he observes his parents doing on a daily basis. Reagan also shows signs of reading readiness within the CHC theory as he brings a book to his teacher while he shows signs of interest and following along with pictures, animal sounds, and the action of turning pages. Finally, Reagan believes that he can "temporarily" change his identity by putting a puppy mask on. This temporary identity follows the gender identity phase explained by Freud, depicting that this temporary identity can change depending on the situation and outward appearance. These theorists and perspectives depict and further explain the cognitive development of Reagan.
Cognitive development is closely related and linked to the physical and language/literacy domains. The relation of physical and cognitive domains has already been discussed in this child study report above. Cognitive development is closely linked to language/literacy development through the uses of auditory processing and reading/writing readiness that is explained above. The use of explaining connections using senses, gestures, and questions all reflect the language/literacy domain by using communication whether by "self-talk" or in taking turns through conversation of expressions, gestures, words, and questions.