Early Adulthood Cognitive Development

Cognition pertains to the acquisition, processing, transformation, storage, and retrieval of or so(prenominal) information concerning the world (Louw, van Ede, and Louw, 1998). This process affects all aspect of our personality. Cognitive processes such as perceiving, conceptualizing, cogitate, remembering, and contemplating are wholly necessary for us to solve everyday problems, to work and do the household chores straitlacedly, to arrive at a sound decision and accomplish otherwise daily activities that make use of our minds (Louw, Van Ede, and Louw, 1998).Thus, the developing of the cognitive attributes of every single molds his or her future for cognition is the crucial factor in impact the altercates of life (Louw, Van Ede, and Louw, 1998).According to Piaget, cognitive development is the product of the interaction of the individual with the environmental events (Louw, Van Ede, and Louw, 1998). The cognitive attributes of every individual is fundamentally shaped by the heredity.Heredity dictates our physical 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 maturation (Louw, Van Ede, and Louw, 1998).Even though we have different genes, human maturation is identical to all races. This office that differences in our physical appearance is dictated by our genes but all humans crystallize through, as a result of maturation, identical corresponds of development.Early AdulthoodEarly adulthood generally included individuals within the age-range of eighteen to forty historic power point (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005). After adolescence stage, individuals have attained formal and abstract reasoning and capable of solving problems by considering all potential inwardness (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005). In his theory of development, K. Warner Schaie expound the transiti on in the midst of adolescence to adulthood stages as a cognitive change from acquisition of noesis to knowledge application (Santrock, 2006).He proposed that cognitive changes occur in both distinct stages. In achieving stage, the individual applies intelligence in achieving long term goals wish well 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 responsibleness stage commences.The materialization adults in this stage start to establish and nurture their own career and choose their social responsibility (Santrock, 2006). Also, during this stage, individuals form families, focus effort and attention on the needs of children and spouse (Santrock, 2006).Gisela Labouvie-Vief believed that young adults undergo thought synthesis and intensive changes on thinking (Santrock, 2006). The young adults tend to look for their proper place in the society and seldom use logic in problem solving. Due to muscular cognitive attributes, logical skills do not suffer a slump in the adulthood (Santrock, 2006).Meanwhile, William Perry suggested the differences in the process of thinking between adolescents and young adults (Santrock, 2006). The view of the adolescents on the world is depict as Manichaean thinking wherein every object has its opposite like right or wrong and good or bad. As maturity usurps it course, multiple thinking replaces dualistic thinking (Santrock, 2006).Then, young adults tend to recognize myriad opinion and ideals of community members which leads to realization that not every problem can 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 assessment is effecti ve and stars opinions are challenged by the other members of the community (Santrock, 2006). After the brassatic evaluation of knowledge, honest 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 Formal 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 every aspect of a problem.Although every adult develops the aptitude for formal trading operations, most whitethorn not reach the summit of formal operations they continue to have a star-minded and ego-centered judgment (Elliot, Kratochwill, Cook, and Travers, 2000). Meanwhile, a decentrated individual has the capacity to rearrange and alter information which in turn facilitates his or her understanding.The individual has the ability to conceive principles or scientific justice applicable to observations, formulate hypotheses and design 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 bureau 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, 1998).They already have the abi lity to gather data and investigate, formulate hypotheses, and deduce generalization from the results of investigation. Further, the capable result of formal operations leads to continuous development of knowledges structure and the intellect. However, in the absence of the appropriate 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 student s of the higher(prenominal)(prenominal) educational institutions and some 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, further development of mental capacity and completion of process of maturation spontaneously occur (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005).Information Processing Theory and CognitionThe informat ion 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 need 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 relations with every dialectic force in our life, intellectual ability is enhanced.Based on research concerning po stformal thought, development unendingly progresses beyond Piagets formal operational stage (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005). In a study, participants were given complex tasks like political 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 practically believe that every problem has its own solution (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005).Relativists recognize variation 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, ind ividuals 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 nature 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 some 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 levels of cognitive development (Fischer, Yan, a nd Stewart, 2003). This means that the individuals at this point can apply both basic and a considerable cognitive skills complexness in dealing with life problems.In addition, the concept of upper limit or the preen of tasks beyond which the individual can not perform is not absolutely real for appropriate scaffolding or contextual nutrition can facilitate the attainment of goals (Fischer, Yan, and Stewart, 2003). Instead, the absence of scaffold or tasks per se is the caused why certain(p) skills wont 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 present 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 Dynamic skills described the context-based development and refinement of cognitive attributes. Cognitive tasks from infancy to the prese nt 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 scarcely 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 classification.AnalysisCognition is generally defined as set of metal activities involved in the encoding, perception, 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 storage allocation of attention on a task or stimulus results to efficient perception.On the other hand, perception means recognition of stimuli thus, successful per ception entails efficient processing of information that becomes the basis of ones volition. Meanwhile, the cognitive faculties of the individual are primarily 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 ancestry for any 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 her 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 individual 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 Psychology 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. London 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. Cape Town, sou theastward Africa Pearson Education.Santrock, J. W. (2006) Life-Span Development, 10th ed. New York McGraw-Hill.