The Cognitive Development Essay

Cognition As A Process

Cognition – the process of developing intelligence and capability for advanced thinking. That is the definition that every educator and psychologist has imbedded in their memory banks from their early college days. And if you are planning a major in either of these fields, or in sociology for that matter, you will also come upon this definition – it’s quite universal! As you study the concept of cognition, you will of course study various theories of cognitive development stages, as put forth by researchers in psychology and education. And along the way you have essay and paper assignments that relate to these theories that will ask you to do the following:

Typical Cognitive Development Essay and Paper Assignments

1. Identify and explain the theories of cognitive development of the most respected researchers in the field, past and present.
2. Compare and contrast the elements of two or more cognitive development theories
3. Apply one or more theories of cognitive development to early childhood and K-12 classroom instruction
4. Use one or more theories to explain how instructional delivery should occur during each stage of development (e.g., Piaget’s preoperational, concrete and formal operations stages).
5. Discuss the Vygotsky theory of cognitive development as it relates to sociological theory
6. Compare the roles that Piaget and Vygotsky see for adults and teachers in cognitive development
7. Discuss, from a psychological standpoint, the consequences of a child not passing through Piaget’s stages of cognitive development appropriately.
8. Discuss the compatibility (or lack thereof) of Piaget cognitive development theory with Vygotsky theory.
9. How do theories of thinking development of researchers such as Benjamin Bloom fit into theories of cognitive development?

Theories of cognitive development can be quite complex and difficult to grasp initially, but they do become more understandable as students progress through their coursework and begin to see such theories put into practical use in the classroom and other environments. And for students who move on to graduate level work in education, psychology, and sociology, there is ample room for lots of original research that relates to cognition and cognitive development. It’s an interesting and always evolving field of study, and the more we understand how cognition occurs and is developed, the better our educators and psychologists will become at meeting the needs of everyone to learn and grow mentally.

Planning Your Essay or Paper

If your assignment has a specific purpose – explanatory, compare/contrast, analysis, application, etc., be certain that you understand that purpose and stick to it as you plan and write your piece. Further, if you are in the early stages of studying theories of cognitive development, you may struggle with such an essay or paper. When this happens, get some professional help from a writing service that has educational and psychological scholars among its staff. Getting that expert help is just the smart thing to do while you work to master your own understanding.