University Assignment: Personal Response on Cognitive Development

This assignment delves into a student's personal reflections on cognitive development, drawing insights from Dr. Bruce Perry's work and related articles. The student explores the potential for cognitive growth throughout life, challenging assumptions about primary caregivers, and analyzes how educators minimize stress for young learners. The assignment highlights the importance of emotional support, stimulating cognitive skills through play, and fostering communication skills via imitation and positive reinforcement. The student examines the educators' methods in promoting cognitive development and the importance of a nurturing environment for children. The assignment also discusses the use of songs and poems to engage cognitive abilities and the development of social skills. This homework assignment provides a comprehensive overview of cognitive development in early childhood.

Running head: Personal Response
Personal Response
Name of Author
Name of University
Author Note

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Part 1
What did you learn that you did not already know after reading the article or watching the
Dr. Bruce Perry? Explain.
The interesting point in Dr. Perry’s lecture was that cognition or cognitive abilities have a
potential to grow even at an old age, according to Dr. Perry, even at 90. This is a remarkable
because elderly people have a tendency to be forgetful. According to Piaget's theory of cognitive
development, after the start of formal operation stage of the brain, for lifelong a person’s
cognitive ability can improve. So it is noteworthy to understand the importance to stimulation
interest and curiosity in children, such that even at old age, throughout their life, they can learn
new things. This technique can be implemented to investigate the relationship between cognition
and its acceptance of technology in old age. So we can assume that the reason of reluctance to
understand technology is because as a child their curiosity was not instigated.
What assumptions challenged you by the article “Nature/Nurture - Early Brain
Development and the video Dr. Bruce Perry” Why?
The study promotes a concept of introducing a “primary caregiver”, which in today’s
social structure is not possible. Generally, couples who have children are both professionals who
have to leave their children for the time being in presence of a caretaker, such as baby sitters and
nannies. The positive stimulus should be provided to a child by their parents only, assuming that
the person left in charge is not educated and this can have a negative impact on the baby’s
cognition development. The baby should be given proper setting to be attached to both parents
in order to establish a healthy parent-child relationship and proper family bonding. The focus

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should not be on one “primary caregiver”, but both parents; so that the child understands it’s
being nurtured properly and will grow to have equal fondness for both parents.
Part 2
Identify 1 way you see the professional educators in the Cognitive Discoveries Video
organizing the environment to minimize stress for our youngest learners. How do you
know? What are they doing?
The professional educators see to be very attentive and interested in the games that the
young learners are playing, this seems to be a very important point to develop their comfort.
Since they mostly deal with babies and toddlers, who are susceptible to emotional outrage when
separating from their caregivers, it is important to provide them emotional support and distract
them. The educators are providing the kids with a vast range of toys which would distract them
from the current physical detachment and also help them develop their cognitive skills. The
educators are not interfering with the kid’s activities but guiding them to discover their cognitive
abilities. They do not seem to force the kids to do something, but encourage.
Identify 1 skill that they are supporting development by reviewing the sensory motor notes
link attached here and/ or the ELECT document.
The educators are engaging the kid’s communication skills by helping them imitate
human language via songs and instructions. The infant’s ability to hear is triggered which makes
them want to imitate the adults. This is very helpful while using songs and poems as these
methods have harmony and music which is appealing to the brain in engaging their cognitive
abilities. By triggering their imitation response they can share activities and bond with the
educators and learn to trust them. These interactive sessions can help the child develop social

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skills for future. The educators are also reinforcing positive motivational stimulus that triggers
the children to repeat these activities and perfect them and be curious to learn new things.