IndexIntroductionBodyConclusionReferencesIntroductionCognitive development encompasses human perception, thought processes, and how an individual gains an understanding of his or her world. This is done according to theorists, through interaction with others and through experiences learned in the past. It could therefore be said that cognitive development is fluid and constantly evolving depending on these factors. It involves gathering and processing information, reasoning about information, developing language and the brain's memory system. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Cognitive development refers to the period between childhood and adolescence. Or as explained in Psychology: From Investigation to Understanding. (Lilienfeld,S. 2015, p. 408)Cognitive development shows how the brain develops during this period. Two of the dominant theories of cognitive development come from theorists Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. Piaget's theory is based on "fundamental principles" relating to the "stages" of a child's development, while Vygotsky believed that children are influenced by their environment and factors such as socio-cultural events and experiences. Body Piaget's theory was the starting point of cognitive development. He believed that development precedes learning and that children's knowledge is built through interaction with the environment, thus allowing them to make sense of things through experience. He believed that this way of learning changes with age and postulates that "stages" are how we develop. Piagets focused on what he describes as the "4 stages" and believed that it was through these different stages that a child learns and develops. These stages are known as sensorimotor – from birth to 2 years, pre-operational – 2 – 7 years, concrete operational – 7 – 11 years and formal operational from 7 years and above (Lilienfeld, S. 2015, p. 410). It teaches that as children move through these stages, they learn by inventing or reinventing their background knowledge through their experiences within each stage. The stages in which Piaget believes children learn are universal across cultures and therefore might be seen by some as incorrect or imperfect. since it does not consider the impact that a culture has within society. That is, race, gender, socioeconomic status, etc., do not play a role in a child's cognitive development, they are simply universal stages in which children develop independently. The belief that development occurs in stages, (jumps) from one stage of life to the next at certain times or at key milestones, independently of social interaction with those around us, can be a bit imprecise, while in In reality development through childhood and adolescence is seen by some as more of a continuous and fluid change involving many other factors rather than being limited to 'phases'. (Flavell, 1992; Klahr & MacWhinney, 1998; Siegler, 1995) Unlike Piaget, Vygotsky believed that learning precedes development. He taught that social learning comes before cognitive growth. His theory shows that developmental growth improves when confronted with new things, so we enter new arenas, accept new challenges and learn in this way. Vygotsky's theories emphasize the fundamental role of social interaction in the development of cognition as he strongly believed that community plays a central role in the process of “meaning-making”. (Vygotsky, 1978) His work and research have been widely used in recent decades under.