Running head: HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Student's Name
Institutional Affiliation
Date
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Cognitive Development in Early Childhood
Early childhood refers to the period between a children's birth to around six years of age
Here, the child's brain development starts when the child can integrate present and past
experiences, rely on semantic categories, and detect relationships. Brain and cognitive
development then lead to mastery of words and language, controlled impulses, faster thinking,
and increased attentiveness to surrounding things. Language becomes the most integral part of a
child's brain development. It can be acquired through behavioral observations or social
interactions with the people around them, which can be attributed to higher information
processing by the brain. What precedes language and understanding is a major debate with Piaget
theorizing that one has to understand language before using it (Beilin & Pufall, 2013), while
Vygotsky contradicts it by stating that one has to use language before understanding it.
Development During Middle Childhood
Middle childhood refers to the period of development between early childhood and
adolescence. It ranges from six years to twelve years old. Here cognitive development starts to
change with children experiencing conservation of thoughts where they can determine or
compare quantities despite their changing shapes. They also start to experience abstract thinking
where their imaginative thinking arises where they think of things they have not even
experienced. They are also able to note how people perceive them while also learning how to
express themselves in different situations. Emotional development also occurs in this stage of
human development where the child starts to understand themselves better while understanding
how their emotions affect their behavior and control them. They also become more emotionally
independent, where they start hiding what they feel from their parents. Most interactions in this
stage are of the same sex.
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Cognitive Development in Early Adulthood
This is the stage where young adults' change how they think based on both past and
present experiences. According to Perry's epistemic cognition, it is mainly based on a reflection
of how their experiences led to the knowledge they now know. Knowledge-based on experiences
can be based on dualistic thinking, where there are only two choices of whether it is wrong or
right with no middle option. It can also be relativistic where it is based on an individual's thought
of what is right or wrong; hence nothing is entirely correct or wrong. Epistemic cognition is very
dependent on the setting or people on is attracting with. This exposure to new ideas and beliefs is
the one that leads to one acquiring knowledge with college been the best institution of exposing
young adults to new ideas and beliefs.
Middle Adulthood Human Growth and Development
This is the stage above forty years, where the brain is fully developed with vast
experiences to base on knowledge. The body also starts to undergo changes that affect a person
both physically and emotionally. The body starts to fail, leading to various chronic diseases. The
body then