How do we get from helpless baby to knowing, ironic teenager? Is cognition a matter of learning and environment or heredity? Do television and computers have an impact on cognitive development? These are the principle questions addressed in How the Child's Mind Develops.
Cognitive Development-how we learn to think, perceive, remember, talk, reason, and learn-is a central topic in the field of psychology. In this brief, highly readable book, David Cohen discusses the key theories, research, and controversies that have shaped and informed our knowledge of how the child's mind develops in a way that is accessible to all those who live with, work with, or study children. He shows how the questions and issues that have intrigued psychologists over the past hundred years or so relate to the child growing up in the 21st century. Issues such as learning how to read and write, performance in the classroom, and measuring intelligence and ability are covered, as are child crime and the development of morality. The effects on cognitive development of social change and increased exposure to television and computers are also discussed.
The result is a wide-ranging, integrated, and thought-provoking account of the central issues in cognitive development that will provide the professional, parent, and student with an invaluable introduction to the development of the mind.
Contents:
Introduction.
The Developing Brain, The Logical Child: Piaget's theory of cognitive development.
The Social Child: Vygotsky et al versus Piaget.
The Development of a Moral Sense.
Other People and Other Minds.
The Development of Memory.
Measuring Children's CognitiveDevelopment.
Nature or Nurture? Cognitive Development in the Classroom: Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. Television, Toys and the Child as Consumer.
Readership: Professionals, parents and anyone who works with children.