Discussion on Development
Development is a sensitive process in human life, and that begins from the moment one is conceived and extends throughout their life. It is interesting that human development is not an independent process but is affected by various forces that shape the outcome of an individual in their different stages of life and even how they relate to the ideas at their disposal. This discussion post will examine the various biological and environmental influences on development, experiences that shaped my development, and the four stages of Piaget’s Theory.
Influences on Development
Biological factors play an important role in influencing the development and outcome of an individual. One of the biological factors that influence one’s development is the genetic influence, and this addresses the fact that there are certain traits inherited from parents that affect the way a person develops. The other biological factor that influences how a person develops is the brain chemistry. The brain chemistry refers to the ways the chemical makes up of the brain function based on how the child is brought up and the impact the experiences have on the IQ and even sometimes the brain size evidence (Huffman, Dowdell & Sanderson, 2018). The last biological factor is gender, which entails the chromosome make up of a person that determines their sex and cognitive maturation evidence (Huffman, Dowdell & Sanderson, 2018). The environmental factors that influence development the family and household characteristics, economic aspects that determine the resources available to influence development, and education system evidence (Huffman, Dowdell & Sanderson, 2018).
Experiences that Influenced My Development
I believe one of the critical experiences that have had a significant impact on my development is the culture in which I grew up, as this shaped the way I interpret and interact with various ideas. The culture system is mainly made up of the friends up I grew up with and the way my parents brought me up to interpret things in life. The other experience that influenced my development is changing school because of the financial challenges that my parents faced while I was growing up, and that resulted in me changing schools and moving to different locations.
The Four Stages of Piaget’s Theory
The four stages of Piaget’s Theory are the sensorimotor stage, preoperational stage, concrete operational stage, and formal operational stage evidence (Huffman, Dowdell & Sanderson, 2018). The sensorimotor stage starts from the time one is born until they are two years old. The cognitive ability in this phase is the use of sense and motor skills in exploring and developing cognitively evidence (Huffman, Dowdell & Sanderson, 2018). The cognitive limitation in this stage is the lack of significant language. The preoperational stage lasts between ages 2 to 7, and at this stage, the child has significant language but cannot perform mental operations evidence (Huffman, Dowdell & Sanderson, 2018). The concrete operational stage from the age of 7 to 11, and the child can recognize conversation but cannot think abstractly and hypothetically evidence (Huffman, Dowdell & Sanderson, 2018). The last stage of formal operational starts at 11 and over, and at this point, one can think abstractly and hypothetically, but the limit is the beginning of adolescent egocentrism evidence (Huffman, Dowdell & Sanderson, 2018).
Conclusion
In conclusion, the biological influences on one’s development include genes, brain chemistry, and gender. The environmental factors that influence a person’s development, on the other hand, include but are not limited to family environment, socioeconomic status, and the education system. It is thus essential to pay attention to how these forces can either support or deter one’s development and respond to them accordingly. Various theories exist that strive to explain human development, but the paper has discussed the Piaget’s theory. The four stages of cognitive development within this philosophy are the sensorimotor stage, preoperational stage, concrete operational stage, and formal operational stage.