Gemma Mangino

Professor Brecheisen
ECE-252
17 October 2016
Cognitive Observation

Part A

(1a.) Two examples of behaviors that helped me determine the 12-month-olds cognitive

development were how he played and experimented with his toys. He would pick up different

objects such as a puzzle piece, or a ball and feel the differences by putting each object in his

mouth, and feel the differences with his hands. He would also bang the objects in his hands

together to see what the reaction would be. Another example would be when he would compare

different toys to see what kind of reactions they would have when he would throw them.

(1b.) This child is in Piaget’s sensorimotor substages 12-18 months because he was

experimenting with a different toy to determine what each one was capable of, and to

acknowledge the differences between them.

(2.) The toys that he could use that will help him transition to the next stage would be his toy

jack in the box. This would help him move to the next stage because in order for the box to open

he must turn the knob for the puppet to appear. When he says “again” he must learn to close the

box in order to repeat the actions he just did and experienced with the toy.

(3.) The teacher is fostering cognitive growth by encouraging the child to play with different toys

to see the differences. She also spoke to him while he played. For example, she would say,

“Wow, Nicholas, look at how soft the ball is, and how hard the puzzle piece is.” She would also

give him toys that made a sound, so he was able to see how they worked. For example, she

would give him a toy that spun and made animal sounds when the lever was pulled. She showed

him an example to show him what the toy did. When she pulled the lever the little arrow spun
and landed on a cow and it “mooed”. He clapped his hands and wanted to try himself. This

shows the teacher trying to help Nicholas move along into the next stage.

Part B

(1a.) Two behaviors the 19-month-old child displayed to show her cognitive development

was when she played with her toys. For example, she would make noises of excitement by

squealing when she put the correct shaped block into the box. Another example would be when

she clapped her hand when she experimented with different Lego pieces. She would clap her

hands every time she got a different piece put together.

(1b.) This child is in Piaget’s sensorimotor substages 18-24 months because she is able to solve

simple problems such as her different shaped block toy, and expressing her excitement through

small verbal words.

(2.) Toy to help her move to the next stage which would be on scale six, development of

imitation, would be the little teacups and a teapot set she has. This will help her begin to grasp

the concept of imitation because it helps develop the understanding of what is pretend and what

is real.

(3.) The teacher is fostering cognitive growth by verbally praising her. She would say “Good Job

Sarah, you got another block in!” Another example would be the teacher giving Sarah different

toys to play with, such as her Legos to build with. To motivate her to the next stage the teacher

would talk to her and show examples of what to do with them. For example, she would pick up

the teapot and pour invisible tea into the cup. She would then give it to Sarah and say, “Here now

you try.”

Part C
(1.) For this section, I observed a 24-month-old girl. One of the Piagetian scales that I

observed her doing was Scale six, the development of imitation. She is playing “Pat a

cake”, and imitating the gestures and words back with her teacher. She is displaying the

use of using horizontal hand gestures such as clapping her hands. She is also singing

along with the teacher as they play. She is showing imitation also play mimicking the

hand gestures the teacher is making while singing the song. She is unfamiliar with some

of the hand movements and watches intently as the teacher repeats the movements as they

continue together.

(2.) In order to move on to the next level, a toy I would suggest for the child would be toy

music set. For example, a toy drum set, or piano, would be a great way for her to learn

what each sound makes and to make a connection with the toy instrument. She would be

able to experiment with different sounds and make the connection to each piece and what

it's capable of doing.