U N I T 3 TOWARDS ADOLESCENCE This Unit will analyse the different stages of human development from a cognitive, psychosexual and social perspective. Particular emphasis will be given to adolescence. A. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT When discussing any type of development, theorists break it down into specific stages, with a progression from one stage to the next. With regard to motor abilities, most children develop them in the same order and approximately at the same age, depending on the environment. The most important theory of Cognitive Development of children was developed by Jean Piaget (1896-1980). According to this, children go through specific stages as their intellect and ability to build relationships mature. The first is the sensory-motor stage. This occurs between birth and 2 years of age, when the baby begins to understand information perceived through the senses. At this stage, the child learns how to manipulate objects, but is not able to understand the permanency of the object if it is outside its sensory perception. At the end of this stage, the major achievement is object permanency, the ability to understand that objects exist even when they are out of reach. Piaget s Theory of Cognitive Development 1. Sensory-motor stage 3. Concrete operational stage 112 2. Preoperational stage 4. Formal operational stage