Childhood development is something that has been studied profusely. As long as the idea has existed that what occurs as a child has a direct effect on what kind of adult that individual will turn into. This is of great importance for the simple fact. That most of the population wants certain types of people in society at the same time that they want to exclude other types of individuals. For example, most people would agree that an individual who is trustworthy, ambitious, and has a high moral code would be an asset to the population.
On the other hand, almost everyone would say that a serial killer is an extreme detriment to society. Studies show that events that happen throughout the course of a childhood can contribute to the likelihood that an individual will turn out in either of these ways. The following paragraphs will examine cognitive development theory before delving into two leading theorists’ views on the subject.
At its most base level, cognitive developmental theories seek to explain how and why humans are able to become smarter and more educated throughout their lives. (Demetriou and Raftopoulos 2005) Theories focus on how humans use experiences and apply their knowledge to other, new experiences. The basic premise of any cognitive developmental theory is that humans become smarter and more capable of complex thinking patterns and interactions throughout their childhood and adolescence.
Two of the leading developmental theorists are Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. While they agree on certain aspects, they also disagree on many others. At the base of their arguments, the differences can be likened to the nature vs. nurture argument. While Piaget believes that it is the structure of the brain that ultimately dictates how an individual learns and cognitively develops, Vygotsky believes that it is primarily based on social processes of learning. (Demetriou and Raftopoulos 2005)
While Vygotsky obviously acknowledges that the structure of the brain and the biological reactions and functions play their part in allowing information to be processed, he believes that how it is processed is a social activity. Vygotsky backs up his theory citing the existence of various languages and cultural influences. For example, once a child learns a language, they will think about things and process information in that language. The influence of cultural variants becomes even more obvious when one thinks of the fact that certain languages have words and phrases that do not have a direct or accurate translation into other languages.
However, even though these theories seem very different, they are also somewhat similar. Even though each theory favors one side of the argument, both theorists acknowledge the influence of both biology and the environment on development. For example, one cannot deny the effect that a biological learning disorder such as ADHD has on a child’s development. Conversely, an abusive family environment has extremely adverse impacts on a child’s development as well.
There is a wealth of scientific evidence for each school of thought. (Demetriou and Raftopoulos 2005) Learning is a factor of both social and biological influences. Both Piaget and Vygotsky also understand the importance of inputs to the development process. Piaget seems to emphasize that it is how the inputs are processed that matters while Vygotsky believes that it is the inputs themselves that influence how a child develops. In both theories, however, inputs are vital to the entire process.
Vygotsky’s theory does not have stages of development. Rather, he emphasizes that cognitive development is a continual social learning process. One difference from Piaget’s theory that can be likened to stages is that while Piaget believes that cognitive development must precede learning of any sort, Vygotsky believes that social learning is constantly occurring, and thus comes before cognitive development happens. (Demetriou and Raftopoulos 2005) Piaget’s theory, on the other hand, has several stages that he explains in detail.
