Infancy and Early Chidhood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Infancy and Early Chidhood - Essay Example According to Piagets theory of cognitive development, there are four stages of cognitive development and the first stage or the sensorimotor stage occurs between birth to 24 months and the second stage or the preoperational stage occurs between 2- 7 years of age. In the sensorimotor stage, there are six sub-stages. During the first weeks of life, reflexive behaviours facilitate coordination of sensation. The main reflexes involved are sucking, movements of eyes and palmar grasp. From the six weeks of life to 4 months, coordination of sensation occurs through habits reflex and primary circular reactions. From 4-8 months, coordination between vision and comprehension occurs and children develop habits at this stage. The dawn of logic occurs at this stage. Between 8- 12 months, touch-hand-eye coordination occurs. Coordination between means and ends also occurs at this stage. Piaget called this stage "first proper intelligence." Goal orientation and deliberate steps to meet an objective begin in this stage. At the age 12- 18 months, children experiment with new behaviour. Piaget suggested that children discover new means to meet their goals at this stage. Between 18- 24 months, children begin to use primitive symbols and develop enduring mental representations. This stage is marked by the development of true creativity and insight. The next stage of development according to Piaget is the preoperational period. This stage begins by the end of 2 years and new kind of psychological functioning develops. The mental operations are inadequate and sparse. The child begins to use and represent by drawings, words and images. Thinking at this stage is egocentric and the child is not in a position to understand the viewpoint of others (Piaget and Inhelder, 1973). According to Erikson, during the first stage of development occurs between 0-1 year, during which period, the basic needs are met by