Piaget's Cognitive Stages Of Child Development

The physical development of a six (6) year old advances slower than the previous years. Growth during middle childhood is relatively stable until pre- puberty. Although, growth charts are viewed as a reference, it is a guideline. It is important to note that all children grow at their own pace. Some will mature earlier than others. The physical development is unique to every child.

While every child’s development varies during middle childhood, most children will typically grow “two (2) to three (3) inches each year between the ages of six (6) and eleven (11) and approximately double their weight during that period (Papalia 284).” Due to the loss of baby fat, at this stage of development, children resemble mini adults. This is evident in

The stages are sensorimotor stage (birth to age two (2)), pre- operational stage (from two (2) to age seven (7)), concrete operational stage (from age (7) to age (11)), and formal operational stage (age eleven (11) to adulthood). The subject’s current cognitive stage is concrete operational. The concrete operational stage of development is the begin of thought processes. During this stage of development a child can use logical thought or operations (i.e. rules) but can only apply logic to physical objects (hence concrete operational) (McLeod). In other words, during this stage, a child will gain a better understanding of mental operations. Logical thinking of concrete events and objects begins at this stage. Conversely, difficulty with abstract thinking and concepts will

Demonstration of concrete operations and decrease egocentric thoughts are observed when she shares her fruits snacks with her cousins. She opens the bag of fruits snacks and puts them on the table; she then attempts to “divide” the candy evenly. Another characteristic of this developmental stage is the ability to think about others perspective and point of view. LR, does not only see her view of things but she also takes into perspective the view of her cousins. She is starting to use others perspective to help her solve problems that may arise and also when she making her decisions. Her deciding to share her candy can be viewed as an example of this. Another example is when she attempts to help washing the dishes. She able to conclude that is the dishes were washed faster, through her helping, the faster she and her cousin would resume playing again. Mahler’s separation – individuation theory of child development focused “primarily on mother – infant interactions within the first three (3) years of life (online).” According to Mahler, successful completion of the developmental stages in the first few years of life results in separation and individuation. Separation refers to an internal process of mental separation from the mother, while individuation refers to a developing self-concept. Although interrelated, it is possible for one to develop more than the other, largely