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Intellectual Development of Young Children The intellectual development of the child is a very complicated and somewhat mysterious process. Not only the young organism has to cope with growing amount of information but also it has to manage the storage facility (physical development of the organs, like brain) availability. Much analysis has been done on the intellectual development of infants and preschoolers and in this paper I will try to summarize the fundamental and axiomatic (as per today) discoveries in this sphere. One of the most famous theories of intellectual development belongs to Jean Piaget, who based his theorizing on the cognitive aspect of childs psychology. By the age f 3 t 4 years ld, children have attained what Piaget called functions r pre-perkins that enable yung children t perform a number f feats far been the capabilities f infants (Piaget, 1950).
Infants concentrate n constructing a world f permanent beats. nce constructed, these beats will be known t exist even when they are n longer present t the infants senses. Preschl children, in contrast, are constructing a world f qualities and properties that different beats share in can. They are beginning t identify and name class, shapes, textures, density, and s n. At this stage, children are beginning t understand same and different as these terms refer t properties. At the same time, it is necessary t recognize that these classes are free nly n the basis f perceptual attributes such as club and frm and nt n the basis f any quantitative characteristics.
Meter, although children can name and identify members f different classes cw, dg, r car, they can as yet perate n these categories in a systematic way. That is t say they can logically add categories and recognize that cats, dgs, and cws are all animals. Nr can they logically multiply classes and appreciate that a cat is bth a cat and an animal at the same time. In short, the ne-many r quantitative dimension f classes escapes yung children. nly when they have attained the concrete perkins f child (age 6 t 7 years) will they begin t be able t coordinate sameness and difference and arrive at the non f a unit that is basic t all quantitative thinking. A unit, fr example the number 3, is at nce like every ther number in that it is a number but als different in that it is the nly number that cme's after 2 and before 4.
nce children have a non f a unit, they can engage in numerical as well as local addition and multiplication (Gesell, 1949). The yung childs limitation with respect t pirating n classes is mst evident when we ask them t define a wrd. Yung children routinely define wrd's by describing their functions; an apple is t eat; a bike is t ride. nly when they attain concrete perkins at abut the age f 6 r 7 years will they begin t define terms by nesting them in higher re classes, where an apple is a fruit, and a bike has wheels - yu g places with it. ccasinally yung children may define a wrd by placing it within a broader content, but this is free an anticipation f later intellectual achievement, nt a true reflection f the yung childs competence (Carey, 1989). The incrpratin f Piagetian tls in the education f toddlers in day cares is stated t be a means that society can use t price the intellectual development f yung children wh live in conditions that are a threat t their brain development.
In discussing yung childrens intellectual growth and abilities, it is difficult t emphasize the wide range f normal variability in the age at which they attain their new mental power. Although it is sometimes useful, as Gesell and his c-workers have dne, t talk abut the characteristics f the 3 -year-ld r the 4 -year-ld, this can be misleading. Although sme temperamental characteristics are relatively unique t each age grup, a great deal f intellectual variability exists (Gesell, 1949). This individual variability has sometimes been bs cured by the tendency t think f yung children in temperamental, rather than intellectual terms. Benjamin Blm has posted ut that the preach years are a time f very rapid intellectual growth. ne characteristic f period f very rapid growth, intellectual r ther wise, is that they tend t exaggerate individual differences (Blm, 1974).
Consider early adolescence and the growth spurt associated with puberty. Girls are taller than bys f the same age, and sme bys and girls mature earlier than ther's. The physical variability and bys and girls in a sixth r seventh grade classrm are incredible. In the meantime, it is critical t appreciate that much f the variability and yung children in readiness t learn has t d with variability in growth rate and nothing mre. There is a very real danger in misdiagnosing yung children as learning disabled when in fact their growth is such that they temporarily fall behind their peers (Nash, 1997). Recognizing the normal variability in growth rates is particularly important that when the academic pressures fr achievement and testing have been pushed downward int the kindergarten and even int the pre-kindergarten levels.
ne consequence f this trend is that ur perception f the range f normality has been compressed. The mre recent view maintains agreement with the view that normal variability is normal and it is important t give children space and allowing them t explore their wn environment. The earlier article n day-care, however, stresses the increased need f providing all children with individualized attention and specifically remedial education fr youngsters frm disadvantaged hme's (Nash, 1997). Children f 3 and 4 years f age are unique. They are at an age f increased intellectual growth and the range f variability f that growth must be recognized and appreciated in setting educational programs and assessing educational progress. The socialization f yung children is by means f frames that given their behavior in repetitive social situations and adults must understand when frames are speed, switched, r contradicted.
Yung childrens eating are simple and are expressed directly in their wrd's and actins. Children are mst like us in their feelings and in their eating, and least like us in their thoughts. It is, therefore, important t treat children with the same gd manners we would award t ther adults. At the same time, we need t remember that yung children may nt understand concepts the same way we d. Put differently, we should treat yung children as we might treat a visit frm anther country - with gd manners, but with the expectation that they will understand everything we have t say r be affected frm ur actins even if believed t be r nt be in their best interest. Reference: Piaget, J. (1950).
The psychology of intelligence. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. Gesell, A. (1949). The first five years of life. New York: Harper. Carey, S. (1989).
The child as a word learner. Linguistic theory and psychological reality. Cambridge, MA: M. I.
T. Press. Bloom. B. (1974). Stability and change in human characteristics. New York: Wiley.
Nash, J. (1997). Fertile Minds. Time, 48 - 56.
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Research essay sample on Intellectual Development Of Young Children
