Cognitive psychology fully examines the cognitive processes of human consciousness. Research in the relevant field, as a rule, is directly related to memory, attention, sensations, presentation of information from the outside world, logical thinking, imagination and the ability to make clear decisions. Thus, using cognitive thinking , from the earliest years, a person assimilates information received from society and converts it into knowledge, on the basis of which his personality is further formed.
Features of cognitive thinking
Thinking as a cognitive process and cognitive activity is equated with the perception of the world is deeply subjective. It is important to note that each person has it individually, because the formation of thinking depends on many factors, among which are the main characteristics of the person, experience in interacting with other members of society, and so on. Thus, it is advisable to form a decent level of memory, attention, imagination, logic, perception and the ability to solve even the most impossibly human tasks from a very young age.
Under the conditions of modern society, the computational version of consciousness has received the greatest development, according to which the psyche is considered a kind of device with a fixed ability to convert signals. In the presented theory, the central role is given to internal cognitive schemes, as well as the active activity of the body in the process of thinking. Thus, it is possible to compare the cognitive thinking of a person with the operation of a computer, because this system also has input, storage and output devices, taking into account its bandwidth.
Main types of thinking
The cognitive system incorporates conscious and unconscious thinking. However, modern psychology mainly deals only with the study of conscious processes (the opposite was considered very deeply by Z. Freud at one time). In accordance with the provision presented, three types of thinking should be distinguished:
- Visually effective, aimed at solving specific problems in accordance with the production, constructive and organizational aspects of social activity. It should be noted that this type of thinking is predominant in children under the age of three years, inclusive. Thus, the child consciously analyzes the objects of his knowledge through, for example, hands. That is why games for logic and the development of thought processes are so important for young children.
- Visual-figurative, embodying abstract thoughts and generalizations into concrete images. This type of thinking begins to form at the age of 4-7 years. Of course, in children the connection of consciousness with practical actions is still preserved, but it is no longer as close as in the case of visual-effective thinking.
- Distracted, closely associated with abstract concepts. First of all, it appears not in the form of concrete practical actions or visual images, but in the role of reasoning of an abstract type. Such rational thinking is characteristic of schoolchildren whose formation of personality is coming to an end.
Stages of the development of intelligence by J. Piaget
The creator of the most profound theory of the formation of intelligence, according to which in the process of development any person goes through a series of stages, was the Swiss Jean Piaget (1896-1980):
- The period of sensory-motor intelligence includes six stages into which the first two years of a person’s life are divided. At this time, perceptual and motor relationships of the infant with the outside world are actively forming. It is important to note that this period is characterized only by the ability of a person to directly manipulate things, but actions with symbols represented in the internal plane are completely excluded.
- The preparatory and organizational period of specific operations, ranging from 2 to 11 years, entails a transition from sensory-motor functions to internal ones (they are called symbolic in other words). So, the child already has the ability to perform certain actions not only with external objects, but also with specific ideas. Already at the age of 7 years, a person can successfully combine the two functions presented.
- The period of formal operations is the ability of a teenager of 11-15 years to study the possible, hypothetical. So, external reality begins to be perceived by him as a special case of what can be, but is not necessarily. Cognitive thinking at this stage reaches its critical point when consciousness is formed, but you should still strive for the highest, because there is no limit to perfection.
Critique of Piaget's Theory
Naturally, the theory considered above is considered a huge achievement in the intellectual field of knowledge, because it was she who carried out the revolution in relation to ideas about the cognitive development of children. So, over a long period of time, Piaget's convictions inspired a great many researchers, which allowed them to be repeatedly confirmed through scientific methods. However, over time, innovative ways of testing the mental activity of children of different ages came to society, which proved that Piaget underestimated the abilities of adolescents.
It would be advisable to give this conclusion a vivid example. In order for a preschooler to successfully solve certain problems formed to test the theory of Piaget's stages, he needs to have specific basic skills that allow him to correctly process information: attention, memory and specific knowledge of the corresponding field. But it may turn out that the teenager does not solve the problem because of the insufficient number of skills that are insignificant, but also necessary to solve this problem.
The formation of moral judgments of the child
As it turned out, Piaget actively studied the cognitive thinking of the child. But this is far from the limit of his activity, for his important contribution to psychology is the consideration of moral judgments of children. The Swiss was sure that their understanding of social conventions and moral rules must necessarily correspond to the general degree of cognitive development. So, Piaget formulated the initial theories that illuminated this issue on the basis of observations of children during the game of glass balls. The scientist was interested in children of different ages, where did the rules of the European game come from, what they mean and why it is so important to be guided by them.
Having analyzed many answers, the psychologist came to the conclusion that the child’s cognitive development in accordance with his understanding of the rules of the game defines four stages, the first two of which are in the preoperative stage. But already at the third stage, children begin to realize that some of the rules serve as social conventions, that is, complex agreements that can be formed or changed arbitrarily, if it suits all participants. At the fourth stage of understanding of moral rules by children, children are even interested in situations that they have not encountered before. The corresponding form of thinking is called ideological and covers a wide range of social issues, and not just standard personal or interpersonal situations.
Levels of thinking
Thought processes are carried out at different levels. American psychotherapist Aaron Temkin Beck divided social thinking into three stages. Thus, arbitrary thoughts come to the surface that can easily be recognized and even controlled, below are thoughts of an automatic nature, which should first of all include stereotypes imposed by society, and in depth are cognitive beliefs that are unconscious. A high level of thinking , which is the final element of the above, is most difficult to change. Nevertheless, a person can perceive absolutely all information coming from outside at one of these levels, or at all in the aggregate by analyzing information, constructing relevant conclusions and forming the tactics of behavior most acceptable to him.
For the greatest effectiveness of human decisions, the development of cognitive function in infancy is very important. That is why caring parents try to devote as much time and activities as possible to the formation of their baby’s consciousness.
What contributes to the development of logic and thinking of the baby?
It's no secret that the most popular way to develop cognitive thinking and all its aspects in children is games. This method has proven its effectiveness both in time and in practice, because games today are widely used not only in kindergartens and other preschool institutions, but also at home. So, the most popular areas are tasks with a variety of subjects that provide affirmations for positive thinking, games using all kinds of pictures and card files, oral exercises or tasks for deduction. A very interesting game is to provide the child with the opportunity to first think like a rich person, and then - like a poor person. This exercise will help develop a sense of thrift, economy, and most importantly, discretion in the future.
Of course, all thinking and logic games are classified according to gender and age. That is why a tendency is observed that indicates the special desire of society to develop logic specifically for boys, and thinking for girls, which allows them to become real men in the future and a little dreamy women.