Introduction
Human beings go through a cognitive development process in their lifetime. Cognition is the “activity of knowing and the processes through which knowledge is acquired and problems are solved” (Sigelman and Rider, 2012, p.210). There are different ways by which scientists explain the cognitive development processes. Jean Piaget and Lev Vgotsky are two leading theorists in the field of cognitive development. Their concepts and models are discussed in this essay, and the similarities and differences of their theories are highlighted in the following section.
Do social and environmental variables affect cognitive development?
A child’s cognitive development is influenced by both social and environmental variables. Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development and Lev Vgotsky’s Cultural-Historical Theory support this idea. Piaget has a constructivist perspective. He believes that all children possess the intellectual capacities of “organization and adaptation” (Sigelman and Rider, 2012, p. 211). Starting in infancy, children make use of these intellectual capacities to gain an understanding of the world through their own experiences. These ways of understanding or schemes in the children’s minds develop further as they take on new experiences. As they grow older the processes of organization and adaptation continues and results into the children’s cognitive development. Organization is defined as “systematically combining existing schemes into new and more complex ones” while the term adaptation refers to the “process of adjusting to the demands of the environment” (p. 211). There are four specific stages in Piaget’s cognitive development theory. The sensorimotor is from birth to age 2. Preoperational stage is at 2-7 years old, concrete operational is from 7-12 years old, and the formal operational stage begins at 12 years old. Piaget maintains that “every stage builds on the next” (Psychology, p. 474). I have personally observed this concept of building on the next stages among preschoolers. I have brought toy blocks to my niece and nephews and I noticed that the kinds of designs they built grew more complicated the longer they played with these toys.
Vgotsky’s cultural-historical theory makes use of three concepts to explain cognitive development. These are internalization, zone of proximal development (ZPD), and scaffolding. Internalization happens when a child observes a particular scenario then he/she would take in or internalize the skills or knowledge from that context. The ZPD is the “difference between a child’s level of independent performance and the level of performance a child can reach with expert guidance” (Sternberg and Williams, 2010, p. 52). The third concept, scaffolding, is the mechanism that assists a child in learning. The child gains more understanding about the task or activity when he/she collaborates with a skilled partner (Psychology, --). In my experience, a child is able to learn how to complete a task when an adult is present providing support and allows him/her to practice more.
The cognitive theories of Vgotsky and Piaget are similar in several areas. Both theorists believe that “the acquisition of sign systems occurs in invariant sequence of steps that is the same for all children” (Slavin, 2009, p. 42). Sign systems refer to symbols that are used in particular cultures to communicate with each other and solve problems. Thus, they both agree that there are particular constant stages that children go through in the cognitive development process. They also have the same view about children being active learners. For Piaget, children makes use of the organization and adaptation to process life’s experiences while for Vgotsky, children are active learners because they would communicate to the adults assisting them about their level of understanding. Both also believe that egocentric speech of children plays a major role in their cognitive development (Hurst, n.d.).
The main difference in their theories is in the direction of learning. According to Piaget learning occurs from the inside, outward. Vgotsky’s view is that cognitive development takes places from the outside going inward (Sternberg and Williams, 2010, p.51). In Piaget’s views, children have an innate capacity to learn and when they undergo life experiences they are able to learn using their capacities. The view of Vgotsky is culture influences the development of cognition, and learning takes place when a person undergoes a life experience then internalizes it, and that’s when the development occurs.
In what ways is an understanding of developmental psychology important to nursing practice?
The knowledge of developmental psychology enables the nurses to be aware of how they make clinical judgments. According to Tanner (2006), clinical judgments of nurses are not exclusively based on results of tests or patients’ information on paper. She emphasizes that “contextual factors profoundly influence nursing judgment” (p. 206). The nurse’s “knowledge about the patient” is generated not only by formal assessments. A nurse’s own set of values and perspectives also contribute to the clinical judgment that he/she makes. Tanner’s research highlights that clinical judgments are influenced by (a) what the nurse brings to the situation (p.205), and (b) the context on which the situation occurs and the culture of the nursing unit. In the earlier discussion, this paper has pointed out Vgotsky’s claim of the social factors influencing the cognitive development of an individual. Tanner’s findings are in line with the idea about cognitive development because when nurses make their clinical judgment, they bring into their decision what they have internalized from their context.
Developmental psychology focuses on the changes that take place as human beings grow in their lifetime. Scientific research and clinical studies on the topic provide information about the milestones expected of individuals when they reach a certain age. This knowledge serve as a reference to nurses when they see patients for certain health problems, such as a broken arm or a fractured leg. The knowledge on developmental psychology is instrumental in nurses being able to recommend the patient for additional care or another assessment that may be beyond the particular health problem the patient initially complained about.
When nurses practice development psychology, they are aware that parental involvement in the assessment of the pediatric patients would be beneficial to the children. The collaboration with the parents occurs through a positive relationship between parents and health providers. The integration of developmental psychology in the everyday care-giving by nurses would result in nurses supporting patients and communicating with them. This strategy would also enhance the clinical relationship between patients and health providers. It can help nurses gain a deeper understanding about the patients and the patients needs. A thorough grasp of the concepts of developmental psychology would also enable nurses to effectively assist the decision-making of the patients.
Conclusions
The theories of developmental psychology espoused by Jean Piaget and Lev Vgotsky explain the processes involved in the cognitive development of human beings. Both theorists believe that children are active learners and that their cognitive development is closely associated with their life experiences. Their perspectives differ in the aspect of the direction of learning. Piaget believes that learning occurs from the inside going outward while Vgotsky’s view is that cognitive development takes places from the outside going inward. The knowledge about developmental psychology is relevant in nursing practice, particularly in understanding how clinical judgments are formulated. Tanner’s research findings about clinical judgments, being influenced by the context from where nurses come from, are likewise in line with the concepts of developmental psychology.
References
- Hurst, M., n.d. Differences between Piaget & Vygotsky’s Development Theories. [online] Education Portal. Available at: < http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/differences-between-piaget-vygotskys-cognitive-development-theories.html#lesson> [Accessed 5 April 2014].
- Sigelman, C. and Rider, E., 2012. Life-Span Human Development. [E-book] Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. Available at: Google Books <books.google.com> [Accessed 5 April 2014].
- Slavin, R.E.2009. Educational Psychology Theory and Practice 9th edition. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.
- Sternberg, R. J. and Williams, W.M., 2010. Educational Psychology 2nd edition. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.
- Tanner, C.A., 2006. Thinking like a Nurse: A Research-Based Model of Clinical Judgment in Nursing. Journal of Nursing Education, 45(6), pp. 204-211.
- _____., ___. Psychology, 2nd Australian and New Zealand edition.
