Between birth and two years, infants undergo a rapid progression of cognitive development that shapes how they understand and interact with their world. Infants learn how to control their own physical actions and how to impact the environment around them. Infants begin to learn how to understand and use symbols and language to communicate, and they learn about how cause and effect works. Even though no two infants develop in exactly the same way or at the same pace, every infant child experiences cognitive development during the earliest years of his life. TheoriesPsychologist Jean Piaget laid the groundwork for most of contemporary thought about cognitive development in infants. He believed that during the first two years of life infants develop sensorimotor reasoning, or the ability to connect sensations to physical movements and actions. Since Piaget work during the mid-20th century, the field of infant cognitive development has become a highly specialized one. Theorists such as Andrew N. Meltzoff and Jean M. Mandler have since argued that infants have even greater perceptual and cognitive abilities than Piaget thought. FeaturesAccording to Piaget, the cognitive development of most infants centers on learning how to interact physically with their world. Piaget described reflexes and habits as being central to infants early cognitive development. For example, infants learn how to control their own body, such as sucking on their fingers or pulling a toy close to them. Infants also learn how to impact the world around them, such as creating a noise that they can hear by hitting one block against another. Or, they may roll a cylinder and knock over a stuffed animal, learning about the cause and effect of their actions on their environment. FactorsInfants begin to develop cognitively even before birth, and Mandler theorized that infants begin to conceptually organize their understanding of the world soon after their birth. This cognitive development can be shaped by any number of factors. Within the first few months after birth, infants will be able to copy the actions of a person around them. Infants will also begin to imitate the sounds that they hear, including the conversations of adults. The cognitive development of infants is impacted not only by their environment, but also by their heredity. Some infants, for example, may show more interest in and response to music, while other infants might be particularly drawn to particular colors or textures. DifferencesCognitive development often varies moderately or even considerably from infant to infant. In fact, the likelihood that an infant cognitive development will not match that of another infant is high. Some infants master Hermes Constance Replica certain motor skills, such as crawling and walking, at an earlier age than other infants. Differences can also be seen in the areas of language development, adaptive abilities and personal-social relationships. For example, while many infants will begin to articulate words around one year, other infants can form whole words as young as 10 or 11 months. ConsiderationsThe cognitive development of infants can be negatively impacted both by hereditary and environmental factors. A baby that has been born drug-dependent or that has not received proper nutrition during the earliest months of life will often develop cognitive skills more slowly than infants from healthy backgrounds. Various types of therapy, however, can help an infant who has been impacted by negative factors. It should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. LIVESTRONG is a registered trademark of the LIVESTRONG Foundation. Moreover, we do not select every advertiser or advertisement that appears on the web site-many of the advertisements are served by third party advertising companies. Infant Mind Development Between birth and two years, infants undergo a rapid progression of cognitive development that shapes how they understand and interact with their world. Infants learn how to control their own physical actions and how to impact the environment around them. Infants begin to learn how to understand and use symbols and language to communicate, and they learn about how cause and effect works. Even though no two infants develop in exactly the same way or at the same pace, every infant child experiences cognitive development during the earliest years of his life. TheoriesPsychologist Jean Piaget laid the groundwork for most of contemporary thought about cognitive development in infants. He believed that during the first two years of life infants develop sensorimotor reasoning, or the ability to connect sensations to physical movements and actions. Since Piaget work during the mid-20th century, the field of infant cognitive development has become a highly specialized one. Theorists such as Andrew N. Meltzoff and Jean M. Mandler have since argued that infants have even greater perceptual and cognitive abilities than Piaget thought. FeaturesAccording to Piaget, the cognitive development of most infants centers on learning how to interact physically with their world. Piaget described reflexes and habits as being central to infants early cognitive development. For example, infants learn how to control their own body, such as sucking on their fingers or pulling a toy close to them. Infants also learn how to impact the world around them, such as creating a noise that they can hear by hitting one block against another. Or, they may roll a cylinder and knock over a stuffed animal, learning about the cause and effect of their actions on their environment. FactorsInfants begin to develop cognitively even before birth, and Mandler theorized that infants begin to conceptually organize their understanding of the world soon after their birth. This cognitive development can be shaped by any number of factors. Within the first few months after birth, infants will be able to copy the actions of a person around them. Infants will also begin to imitate the sounds that they hear, including the conversations of adults. The cognitive development of infants is impacted not only by their environment, but also by their heredity. Some infants, for example, may show more interest in and response to music, while other infants might be particularly drawn to particular colors or textures. DifferencesCognitive development often varies moderately or even considerably from infant to infant. In fact, the likelihood that an infant cognitive development will not match that of another infant is high. Some infants master certain motor skills, such as crawling and walking, at an earlier age than other infants. Differences can also be seen in the areas of language development, adaptive abilities and personal-social Celine Trapeze Bag relationships. For example, while many Burberry Sling Bag infants will begin to articulate words around one year, other infants can form whole words as young as 10 or 11 months. ConsiderationsThe cognitive development of infants can be negatively impacted both by hereditary and environmental factors. A baby that has been born drug-dependent or that has not received proper nutrition during the earliest months of life will often develop cognitive skills more slowly than infants from healthy backgrounds. Various types of therapy, however, can help an infant who has been impacted by negative factors. It should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. LIVESTRONG is a registered trademark of the LIVESTRONG Foundation. Moreover, we do not select every advertiser or advertisement that appears on the web site-many of the advertisements are served by third party advertising companies.