Module 04 : Cognitive
Development in the First Year
Student Objectives:
To learn more about Piaget’s sensorimotor stage
To learn about the sub-stages of the sensorimotor stage
To understand the concept of object permanence
To learn more about adaptation and equilibrium
To understand how to help a child develop their
cognitive brain
4.1 Introduction
Now that you know a bit about cognitive
development overall, the next few modules
will go even deeper.
This module will look at cognitive development during the
first year of life, beginning with birth. We will also take a
closer look at Piaget’s theory, especially the sensorimotor
stage, which, according to Piaget, is the stage where children
learn and develop.
4.2 More Information About the
Sensorimotor Stage
We covered an overview of Piaget’s theory in
Module 3, and if you read that, you will
know that he believed that cognitive
development could be separated into four
different stages.
During the first year, according to Piaget, a child is in the
sensorimotor stage, where they remain until the age of two.
Piaget theorizes that during this stage, infants learn by
doing things such as hearing, looking, grasping, touching, and
sucking.
This process of learning begins with the child combining a
movement of the body with sensory data. Infants will
intentionally attempt to have interactions with their
environment, and they learn that a particular action will have
a specific consequence. Ultimately, this sets up the way an
infant understands how cause and effect work.
When creating his theory, Piaget divided this stage into six
sub-stages, four of which occur during the first year:
Stage 1 (From Birth to 1 Month) – Infants use their
reflexes exclusively to explore their world, and they
have limited cognitive capabilities
Stage 2 (From 1 Month to 4 Months) – Infants engage in
certain behaviors that produce effects, but these are
accidental effects. Once they do this, they will repeat
that behavior to repeat the effect. An example is when
an infant learns to suck on a dummy. It takes several
trial-and-error attempts before they learn to use it
correctly
Stage 3 (4 Months to 8 Months) – Infants will begin to
explore how their behaviors have an impact on their
environment
Stage 4 (8 Months to 12 Months) – Infants will start
using behaviors that will help them to achieve a goal
Object Permanence
Another critical part of the sensorimotor stage is the concept
of object permanence. This is defined as an infant’s knowledge
that an out-of-sight object could still exist, even if he or
she cannot see it. For example, before this, if they see an
object in one room, and then it gets moved to a different
room, they might not realize that the object exists. However,
by about nine months old, the child will be looking for this
object, even if it is outside of their field of vision.
Schemas
There are other important concepts that Piaget introduces in
his theory, too. For instance, he introduces the concept of
schemas. These are the thinking processes that an infant goes
through. In this period, the schemas coordinate perception,
sensory, and motor information so that an infant will, over
time, develop a mental representation. In other words, an
infant’s reflexes will give them the basis for each schema,
which gives them the basis for their representational
thinking.
For instance, an infant will touch a rattle over and over
again, and then learn to identify a rattle by forming an image
of the rattle in their mind.
Adaptation and Equilibrium
Furthermore, Piaget introduces another concept in his theory:
adaptation and equilibrium. The latter was briefly discussed
in Module 3, but here, we give even more information.
According to the Piaget theory, it takes two different
processes, adaptation and equilibrium, to create cognitive
development. Adaptation is based on the concept that children
change their behavior in order to meet situational demands. It
consists of two sub-processes: Assimilation and accommodation.
Assimilation is the process in which the infant applies the
previous concepts they have learned to new concepts that they
will learn.
For example, a child might recognize a whale as a fish.
Accommodation, on the other hand, is the process in which the
infant alters their previous concepts when they are given new
information. For instance, a child will discover that all of
the creatures that live in the ocean are not all fish, and
then they learn that a whale is not a fish, but a mammal.
Equilibrium, the term that Piaget used to describe the
infant’s ability to adapt, is also the infant’s ability to
search for a balance between themselves and the world.
Equilibrium involves matching the way the infant functions to
the demands of their environment.
For instance, equilibrium occurs when the child realizes that
they are only one member of a large family and not the center
of everyone’s world. Thus, equilibrium helps a child to
understand reality, and it keeps the infant moving well along
their developmental path. Finally, it allows them to make more
effective decisions as they grow.
4.3 When does the Development of
the Cognitive Brain Begin?
To the surprise of many, cognitive
development begins when the baby is still in
the womb.
For instance, if a mother watches a favorite program on
television within the final month or so of pregnancy when the
baby is born, it is likely that they will be familiar with the
signature theme. This is cognitive development in action.
One way to see this in real time is to tie a ribbon from the
foot of a baby to their mobile. If you watch the baby at two
months old, you will notice that they kick more to see and
hear the mobile, but if you try again a couple of days later,
he or she will have forgotten. At six months, however, if you
would repeat this experiment, you would find that they will
remember for at least two weeks.
This concept is known as “recognition,” and it is when the
baby makes the connection between their actions and a result.
Though babies have some sense of memory when still in the
womb, complex memory, such as actions and reactions, do not
develop until a child is around six months old. However, at
this time, parents will notice that they begin using gestures
and actions for communication, such as reaching the arms out
when they wish to be picked up. At this point, a child also
will understand that their toys are more than something to
bang or chew on, and instead, will realize that they can
cuddle a teddy or push toy cars around.
4.4 Helping a Child’s Cognitive
Development
Most of a child’s cognitive development
occurs naturally, but a parent can play a
role in helping it along.
Over the past century, parents have become more interested in
their child’s development, and as a result, children today are
brighter than ever before, on average. This means, how a
parent interacts with their child certainly matters.
Right from the time a baby is born, they will begin learning.
A newborn will recognize the smell and voice of their family,
they will study faces, and even copy lip movements.
A baby learns by doing things over and over again, so playing
simple games can also improve the way cognitive development
occurs. It also helps babies to have toys that are appropriate
for a baby’s age, but too many toys can be distracting.
FACT
Piaget’s theory of cognitive development also considered two
distinct processes, adaptation and equilibrium to foster
cognitive advancement. Adaptation refers to a child’s ability
to change his or her behavior to meet situational demands,
while equilibrium refers to a child’s search for balance in
the world.
Source: CPD
4.5 When Babies Learn by Leaps and
Bounds
All babies will develop at their own pace, but it
is possible to make predictions about when a baby
will learn certain things as they grow.
Newborn to Three Months
A baby will love to hear voices, and they might turn towards
voices that are high in pitch. If someone does a simple
action, such as sticking their tongue out, the baby will copy
that action. However, a baby does not understand that they can
make things occur, and at this point, doesn’t even realize
that people and things exist when not in their sight. In fact,
a baby doesn’t even realize that a parent is the same person
every time they see the parent. They are not afraid of
strangers, either, and will welcome a cuddle from any warm
body.
Three Months to Six Months
By the time a baby is three months old, they are making things
happen, and they are realizing things that we, as adults, take
for granted.
For instance, if two toys are touching each other, such as a
teddy and a doggy, that does not mean that they are one toy.
A baby can also categorize at this point, and if a baby is
given six pictures of a dog, they will know immediately when
they get a picture of a cat. By six months, babies will be
reaching and grabbing for things, and of course, putting
everything into their mouth.
Seven Months to Nine Months
By the time a baby is seven months, they will know their name,
and they will be uneasy when with unfamiliar people or places.
A baby can also make plans as they go through the day. For
instance, the baby might choose to crawl to a favorite teddy
or roll over to find out what is hiding under the sofa. Babies
will also use toys in the way in which they were intended,
such as banging on a drum or knocking bricks over. Babies at
this age also will begin copying the actions of others and
will start testing their limits, such as dropping a spoon from
their highchair, just to see how angry the parent gets.
Nine Months to 12 Months
A baby at this point will cry when mum or dad leaves and will
cling and whine due to separation anxiety. However, this
typically clears up within moments. Babies at this age are
much more vocal, and they will begin to form their first
words, which typically appear around their first birthday.
Take a Quick Recap Test
Conclusion
The first year of life is one that is filled with development
milestones, many of which can be traced back to the cognitive
function of the brain. Piaget has laid out many of these
milestones in his theory, which is practiced by doctors,
researchers, and psychologists around the world. Cognitive
development begins in the womb, and the new aspects of this
development are introduced week after week and month after
month. As a child develops and grows physically, they also
grow mentally and psychologically, which many observant
parents can see as they raise their child through the first
year.
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