What is cognitive development and what is its importance?

The human being, as he develops as a biological organism, so do hisintellectual capacitiesthanks to a process calledcognitive development. This processallows us to adapt continuouslyto the changes that arise in our environment.

In the following article, we will explain what cognitive development consists of and what is its importance within the learning process.

What is cognitive development?

Cognitive development can be defined as the process ofevolution of mental abilitiessuch as memory, language, perception, thinking and attention (among others). In this process, the individual acquiresknowledge about the environmentaround him, allowing him to develop his cognitive capacity. (1)

In this sense,cognitive development begins from the birth of the babyand lasts during childhood and adolescence. Its main characteristic is that it isa continuous processand is mostly focused on children.

To highlight: This theory of psychology has as aprecursor JeanPiaget(2), a Swiss psychologist who focused his research on the way in which thechild acquires knowledgeas it develops and believed that the individual’s childhood plays a vital and active role with the development of intelligence. (3)

A proposed example is when the baby who crawls in search of an object that he has already taken previously and is changed position, will change his route to find the object, indicatingan adaptation to the new situation.

What is the importance of cognitive development?

The importance of cognitive development lies in the fact that itresponds to the innate need to relate and be part of society, linked to the natural ability to adapt and integrate, learning from the social environmentwhere we develop.

You should know: The development of our cognitive abilities allow us toselect and choose from a set of options the most convenientto our needs and most importantly it opens the way to establish social relationships.

That is why cognitive development is essential in the learning process, especially at an early age where the interest of infants is focused on discovering new things, behaving like little scientists eager for a lot of information.

How to describe the cognitive development of a child?

The psychologist Jean Piaget, made a descriptive scheme of how the cognition process evolvesand divided it by ages or stages. Here we explain them to you:

1. Sensorimotor stage

This stage, according to Piaget, is between the time the baby is born and up to 2 years of age. It is characterized because children learn proactive behavior and their thinking is oriented towards the means and ends .

Note: At this stage , relationships are established through innate movements that the child perfects as he develops his cognition.

At this stage , their exploratory behavior is also relevant, in addition to carrying out actions to attract attention, as well as Learning to use the senses and imitating behaviors of their caregivers or moving images.

2. Preoperational stage

This stage is between 2 and 7 years of age, where mental representations are mainly developed and the speed of thinking is much faster and more efficient.

In this sense, the child is capable of thinking not only about the immediate and present, but also about the past or the future. He understands that symbols are very important, because they form the basis of his communication. In this period of time, the child understands that his point of view is the only one, that is, he is egocentric.

To highlight: Some studies indicate the importance of early stimulation for the cognitive development of the 3-year-old child. (4)

3. Stage of concrete actions

This stadium covers children between 7 and 11 years of age. It is characterized in that the child’s thinking becomes more similar to that of the adult and begins to establish relationships between the objects that surround him, begins to reflect logically on them and is even able to consider other thinking positions apart from his own.

You should know: The child develops the Ability to to order and classify objects in a hierarchical way, indicating which may be more important than others and being able to distinguish between those that are similar or different.

4. Stage of formal operations

It covers from 12 years to adolescence. The child already has the ability to discern abstractly andforesee the consequences that his actions may have in the present. He can also develop insights into personal concerns.

Note: This is how thoughts and reflection begin to be really effective when it comes to understanding the world that surrounds them, reaching deductions about more complex realities than before.

Key Findings

• Cognitive development is an evolutionary process of mental abilities.
• It is a mental process that allows the individual to continuously adapt to changes in the environment and even anticipate them.
• This development begins at birth and often continues through adolescence.
• This process is essential in the learning stage .
• Cognitive development responds to the innate need of the individual to relate to and form part of society.