Early Adulthood Cognitive Development

Cognition pertains to the acquisition, solveing, trans skeletal systemation, storage, and retrieval of whatsoever knowledge concerning the world (Louw, avant-garde Ede, and Louw, 1998). This process affects both aspect of our personality. cognitive processes such as perceiving, conceptualizing, reason, remembering, and contemplating are all necessary for us to work out everyday problems, to work and do the ho practicehold chores properly, to arrive at a sound decision and actualize other(a) daily activities that bushel use of our minds (Louw, wagon train Ede, and Louw, 1998).Thus, the growth of the cognitive attributes of every item-by-item molds his or her time to come for cognition is the crucial factor in meeting the challenges of demeanor (Louw, new wave Ede, and Louw, 1998). tally to Piaget, cognitive teaching is the product of the interaction of the undivided with the environ moral events (Louw, van Ede, and Louw, 1998). The cognitive attributes of every ind ividual is fundamentally shaped by the heredity.Heredity dictates our forcible appearances and other biological and physiological characteristics (Louw, Van Ede, and Louw, 1998). In this connection, our genetic make up spontaneously manifests in our physical appearance and personality by dint of evolution (Louw, Van Ede, and Louw, 1998).Even though we feel different genes, human maturation is identical to all races. This content that differences in our physical appearance is arrange by our genes but all macrocosm pass through, as a result of maturation, identical orders of breeding.Early AdulthoodEarly adulthood generally included individuals within the age-range of 18 to forty eld (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005). After adolescence stage, individuals have attained semi-formal and elevate reasoning and capable of solving problems by considering all possible meat (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005). In his surmisal of development, K. Warner Schaie described the t ransition amongst adolescence to adulthood stages as a cognitive change from acquisition of knowledge to knowledge practise (Santrock, 2006).He proposed that cognitive changes guide in two distinct stages. In achieving stage, the individual applies intelligence in achieving long term goals like career development. The honing of cognitive skills for behavioral regulation leads to the acquisition of the sense of independence (Santrock, 2006). On the other hand, during the early to middle adulthood, the responsibility stage commences.The youthful adults in this stage swallow to establish and nurture their own career and recognize their hearty responsibility (Santrock, 2006). Also, during this stage, individuals form families, focus effort and attention on the require of children and spouse (Santrock, 2006).Gisela Labouvie-Vief believed that young adults lowgo thought synthesis and intensive changes on thought process (Santrock, 2006). The young adults tend to look for their pr oper place in the society and seldom use logic in problem solving. repayable to strong cognitive attributes, logical skills do not suffer a slump in the adulthood (Santrock, 2006).Mean plot of land, William Perry suggested the differences in the process of thought process between teenages and young adults (Santrock, 2006). The view of the adolescents on the world is described as Manichaean thinking wherein every object has its opposition like right or wrong and good or bad. As maturity takes it course, multiple thinking replaces dualistic thinking (Santrock, 2006).Then, young adults tend to recognize myriad doctrine and prototypes of confederacy members which leads to realization that not every problem foundation be resolved by the authority (Santrock, 2006). As a result, young adults start to shape their own thinking style, recognize the possible equality of opinions among the populace, and form their own opinion.This process results to relative subordinate thinking where the knowledge judgement is practiced and unmatchables opinions are challenged by the other members of the community (Santrock, 2006). After the systematic evaluation of knowledge, full relativism arises which leads to the realization that knowledge is constructed, context-based, and nom-absolute thus, one realizes that truth is relative (Santrock, 2006).Furthermore, Jan Sinnot viewed that cognitive attributes of every individual develops as pressured by real-life problems (Santrock, 2006). As the individual strive to solve the problems at hand, he or she considers different perspectives resulting to realization that knowledge is non-absolute (Santrock, 2006).Jean Piagets dress OperationsThe fourth stage, Formal Operations, of Jean Piagets cognitive development corresponds to adolescent period of humans and extends to the adulthood (Elliot, Kratochwill, Cook, and Travers, 2000). This is the stage of decentralization where the individual learns to thinks objectively and considers e very aspect of a problem.Although every adult develops the exponent for formal trading operations, most may not reach the summit of formal operations they continue to have a single-minded and ego-centered judgment (Elliot, Kratochwill, Cook, and Travers, 2000). Meanwhile, a decentrated individual has the energy to set up and simplify instruction which in turn facilitates his or her understanding.The individual has the ability to conceive principles or scientific law applicable to observations, formulate hypotheses and function experiments for testing, and operate on operations (Elliot, Kratochwill, Cook, and Travers, 2000).In the stage of formal operations, individuals learn to perform formal operations by means of logical and abstract forms of thinking (Louw, Van Ede, and Louw, 1998). Individuals thoughts at this stage tend to shift form ideal to reality. In addition, adolescence at this period has developed hypothetico-deductive form of reasoning (Louw, Van Ede, and Louw, 1 998).They already have the ability to gather data and investigate, formulate hypotheses, and come generalization from the results of investigation. Further, the satisfactory completion of formal operations leads to continuous development of knowledges structure and the intellect. However, in the absence of the set aside mental stimulus, it would be an arduous task for the individual to hurdle the stage of formal operations for the mental structures required were not attained (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005).Nevertheless, even the school-age child s of the higher(prenominal) educational institutions and about professionals failed to reach the formal operations they tend to be stagnant on the stage of concrete operations (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005). For those who will successfully attain the formal thought level, nevertheless development of mental capacity and completion of process of maturation spontaneously occur (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005).Information Pro cessing Theory and CognitionThe cultivation processing theory described the information processing of humans similar to computers. Perceived stimuli through our senses are encoded, transformed, and stored by our cognitive system (Louw, Van Ede, and Louw, 1998).Then, retrieval to stored data happens as the deficiency arises. With respect to cognitive development, the information-processing theory emphasized the changes on the perceived information during the processing (Louw, Van Ede, and Louw, 1998). For instance, the capacity to perceive stimulus varies with age while the ability to apply the process of encoding also changes with age (Louw, Van Ede, and Louw, 1998).Research and CognitionIn 1975, Riegel postulated that our experiences serve as cognitive challenge which leads us to the discovery of opposite of dialectical forces in our immediate environment (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005). He suggested that by transaction with every dialectic force in our life, intellectual ab ility is enhanced.Based on research concerning postformal thought, development continuously progresses beyond Piagets formal useable stage (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005). In a study, participants were given complex tasks like semipolitical problems, personal relationship, and problems on the economy (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005). Then, they were asked to give their own views and its rationale.It was revealed that adults exhibited different levels of reasoning (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005). Similarly, according to Kramer, postformal individuals pass through absolutist, relativist, and dialectical cognitive levels (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005). Most young adults are absolutists they are able to face problems and often believe that every problem has its own solution (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005).Relativists recognize strain on perspectives for a single issue and the rightful solution for the problem is always context-dependent (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005). In the dialectic phase, individuals tend to integrate and synthesize all possible views concerning the problem. According to Basseches, this level of reasoning can be observed among university students and professors in the higher educational institutions (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005).In line with this, the postformal operation stage comes into the scene when the individual has a thought-provoking environment between twenty to thirty years of age. The temper of work or profession of the individual triggers his or her knowledge on concrete operations for further development (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005).At about twenty years of age, the individual had undergone roughly two decades of changes in cognitive aspects (Fischer, Yan, and Stewart, 2003). The cognitive development beginning from the infancy stage has been becoming complex.Along with this, as revealed by researches in developmental psychology, individuals exhibit cognitive skills at different lev els of cognitive development (Fischer, Yan, and Stewart, 2003). This means that the individuals at this point can apply both radical and a considerable cognitive skills complexity in dealing with life problems.In addition, the concept of upper limit or the set of tasks beyond which the individual can not perform is not absolutely real for appropriate hold or contextual carry can facilitate the acquisition of goals (Fischer, Yan, and Stewart, 2003). Instead, the absence of scaffold or tasks per se is the caused why certain skills wint be observed in an individual (Fischer, Yan, and Stewart, 2003).Thus, the progress of cognitive development should be analyzed as a continuous process from infancy to the vex state. In fact, the present cognitive skills honed by cognitive tasks are built upon the previous cognitive skills attained (Fischer, Yan, and Stewart, 2003).The theory of self-propelling skills described the context-based development and refinement of cognitive attributes. C ognitive tasks from infancy to the present state have been building and restructuring conceptual categories and concrete skills upon the minds of individuals (Fischer, Yan, and Stewart, 2003). Both adolescent and young adult restructure tasks from representation to abstractions.Also, the ladder of skills is not moreover just a reflection of development, rather a yardstick onto which variation in cognitive tasks are assessed (Fischer, Yan, and Stewart, 2003). This permits for the comparison of every activity under optimal, scaffolded, or functional smorgasbord.AnalysisCognition is generally defined as set of metal activities involved in the encoding, learning, storing, and retrieval of information. It is described as a set of inter-related process that guides ones contexts of action as well as emotion. The information processing theory holds that proper allocation of attention on a task or stimulus results to efficient perception.On the other hand, perception means recognition of stimuli thus, successful perception entails efficient processing of information that becomes the basis of ones volition. Meanwhile, the cognitive faculties of the individual are in the first place shaped by the cognitive tasks and scaffold or contextual support provided by his or her immediate environment.Thus, although every human has inborn capacity for cognitive advancement, environmental influences take precedence on the expression and further development of cognitive attributes. As a result, the age demarcation for whatsoever cognitive stage is just a rough estimation for some people may advance or lag far behind, on age basis, with respect to cognitive skills attainment.Moreover, even though Piagets theory was extremely attacked by criticisms, it provided insights on the development of cognitive skills from infancy to adolescence. On the other hand, Lev Vygotsky proved that through proper scaffolding, a child can accomplish a task higher than associated tasks under his or he r classification in Piagets stages of cognitive development (Elliot, Kratochwill, Cook, and Travers, 2000).Hence, cognitive development is not made of distinct phases, but the development can proceed gradually. This means that a child at pre-operational stage by means of scaffolding can accomplish cognitive tasks under formal operations. Further, the respective theories of Schaie, Sinnot, Perry, Vief as well as of Riegel and Kramer, similarly recognized the crucial role of environmental support on the cognitive development of every individual.ReferencesElliot, S.N., Kratochwill, T.R., Cook, J.L., and Travers, J.F. (2000). Educational psychological science Effective Teaching, Effective Learning, 3rd ed. New York McGraw-Hill.Fischer, K., Yan, Z., and Stewart, J. (2003). Handbook of Developmental Psychology. Valsiner, J. and Connolly, K.J. Eds. capital of the United Kingdom SAGE Publication.Hewston, M., Fincham, F.D., and Foster, J. (2005). Psychology. United Kingdom BPS Blackwell.Louw , D.A., Ede, D.M., Louw, A.E. (1998). Human Development, 2nd ed. curtain Town, South Africa Pearson Education.Santrock, J. W. (2006) Life-Span Development, 10th ed. New York McGraw-Hill.