Cognitive Development In Early Childhood

When infants are born, there are not much differences in their thought process and they practically come into the world with a clean slate. Although, it is the world, or should I say culture, they live in that influence and start to make variations between one child and another in terms of cognitive development. In the following paper, I will be exploring the cultural phenomena of cognitive development in early childhood. In spite of the variations, it is evident in many countries that parenting has a vast influence on child cognition. Through parents, a child 's perception is shaped to adapt to their individualistic or collectivistic culture and it is reflected in language acquisition and parenting styles. In spite of the different interactions …show more content…
Bilingual children are better on tasks that require them to manage a conflict. They are able to ignore competing perceptual information easier than monolingualistic children. Bilingual children are also better at switching between two task due to them having the ability to switch between two languages. With the use of language, children are able to interpret the world through their parents or caregivers, which is another variable that shapes child cognition. With their influences in parent style, children can develop a collectivistic or individualistic thinking that resembles a culture. The way parents interact with their children reflects their own culture. An example of this is through sleeping arrangements and the goals that a parent tends to work on to enhance their child 's though process growing up. In individualistic societies, the goal of many parents is to raise their child to be independent and self-reliant. In western cultures, a child that shows independence and emotional self restraint would lead a successful life in this society. Parents try to encourage self-esteem and any latent abilities their child has. Their ultimate goal for their child is so maximize the self, but also keep others in mind at the same time. Aside from the United States, countries such as Australia, Great Britain, and Canada are of individualistic …show more content…
In these cultures, children learn to think of themselves as part of a group. From birth, children are merged into strong groups that help assist one another to function as a whole. Such as in an extended family with a goal, shared responsibility and negotiating cooperation among members would allow them to get things done. Children are trained to engage with an obedient and calm manner. They do not act in ways that enhance themselves individually, but in a way thats respectul with the thought of their family, in-group, or community in mind. Children are raised to be accepted among their