Research on Physical and Cognitive Development

Research on Physical and Cognitive Development

Psychologists have taken so much interest in the development of a child. Through this developmental process, a child matures into a fully mature adult capable of doing the tasks that are required of them; this is why understanding physical and cognitive development in children and adolescents is critical. The first step in understanding development is understanding the theories that explain it. This is followed by a better understanding of children’s and adolescents’ physical and cognitive development. As such, this literature review examines current studies that use developmental theories to study physical and mental development from childhood to adulthood.

Literature Review

Theories are essential since they offer an organized way of explaining and supporting scientific ideas. Subsequently, theories are necessary when explaining human development. Reynolds (2021) discovered that Edward Zigler’s idea is one of the rarely researched theories that are not often employed yet is crucial in describing child development. In this literature review, Reynolds (2021) argues that the theories by Zigler can be very effective if used today to analyze and understand human development. The researcher in this study reveals that there are theories that are ignored, and it is evident that even though there are popular theories like those of Erick Erickson and Piaget, there are also other valuable theories like that of Zigler. Furthermore, even if the research is helpful, the researcher fails to investigate alternate approaches; hence, the study cannot be generalized because it is a review of literature.

On the other hand, Mitchell et al. (2021) research takes a different approach by examining the effectiveness of Erick Erickson’s developmental theory in explaining the psychosocial stage of development. The researchers sought to find out if this theory is correct because it suggests that not resolving a conflict during this stage may negatively impact teenagers later in life as adults. They hypothesized that if one does not resolve the dispute of identity versus role confusion, one may have problems with one’s adult identity. The research, however, revealed that this was not the case. The researchers discovered that those who did not resolve this conflict during their teenage years still had excellent adulthood identities. Therefore, resolving or lack of resolving this conflict during teenage had nothing to do with the adulthood identity.

On the topic of development, it is also evident that many things affect a child’s physical development positively or negatively. One of the things that Cheng et al. (2022) discovered is that if a mother abuses drugs and substances, the child’s physical development could be affected. To get to the bottom of this study area and have scientific evidence, Cheng et al. (2022) conducted a retrospective longitudinal cohort study that helped them collect data that made them conclude their hypothesis was true. Research showed that when mothers use illicit drugs when they are pregnant or when the child is in her earlier stages of development, their physical development is likely to be affected. One of the significant effects they discovered was that these children had developmental delays. This study by Cheng et al. (2022) contributes to the topic by showing that physical development starts during pregnancy and can be affected by the mother’s lifestyle. Consistently, the same effects can be seen in a child after pregnancy during the lactating stage. Effective physical development is only possible through a proper diet. Norris et al. (2022) concluded in their review that a balanced diet is necessary for teenagers and that it aids their physical development at this vital stage when their bodies are changing.

Cognitive development is as important as physical development. However, this development can also be affected by the child’s surroundings, as indicated in this study by Binter et al. (2022). Binter et al. (2022) evaluated data from population-based cohorts from nations like France, Greece, UK, and Spain. In this study, they were interested in knowing how urban areas affect the development of children. They found out that the polluted nature of the towns impacted the child’s cognitive development.

On the other hand, greeneries and the healthy weather in the countryside also affected the child’s cognitive development. Meredith et al. (2022), in their study on the impact of the physical environment on cognitive development in a teenager, further reaffirmed the conclusion made in the survey by Binter et al. In their research, Meredith et al. (2022) only took an interest in knowing how the physical environment impacted cognitive development. Even though their study did not give any new insight, it helped to support the fact that cognitive development is affected by the environment the child lives in

Conclusion

The development in psychology is extensive but crucial for researchers in this field since it is believed to impact a person’s overall behavior. Owing to this fact, this research study is interested in the theories used when researching child and adolescent development, as well as the physical and cognitive development of both children and adolescents. The reviewed literature showed evidence that physical development could be affected negatively by poor diet and the abuse of illicit substances by the mother when pregnant or at the lactating stage. Also, the reviewed journals have shown that cognitive development can also be affected by the physical environment where the child grows.

References

Binter, A. C., Bernard, J. Y., Mon-Williams, M., Andiarena, A., González-Safont, L., Vafeiadi, M., Lepeule, J., Soler-Blasco, R., Alonso, L., Kampouri, M., Mceachan, R., Santa-Marina, L., Wright, J., Chatzi, L., Sunyer, J., Philippat, C., Nieuwenhuijsen, M., Vrijheid, M., & Guxens, M. (2022). Urban environment and cognitive and motor function in four European birth cohorts children. Environment International, 158, 106933. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2021.106933

Cheng, A. W. F., Chan, H. B., Ip, L. S., Wan, K. K. Y., Yu, E. L. M., Chiu, W. K., Chung, P. H., & Yeoh, E. K. (2022). The physical and developmental outcomes of children whose mothers are substance abusers: Analysis of associated factors and the impact of early intervention. Frontiers in paediatrics, 10, 1004890. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2022.1004890

Meredith, W. J., Cardenas-Iniguez, C., Berman, M. G., & Rosenberg, M. D. (2022). Effects of the Physical and social environment on youth cognitive performance. Developmental psychobiology, 64(4), e22258. https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.22258

Norris, S. A., Frongillo, E. A., Black, M. M., Dong, Y., Fall, C., Lampl, M., Liese, A. D., Naguib, M., Prentice, A., Rochat, T., Stephensen, C. B., Tinago, C. B., Ward, K. A., Wrottesley, S. V., & Patton, G. C. (2022). Nutrition in adolescent growth and development. Lancet (London, England), 399(10320), 172–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01590-7

Reynolds A. J. (2021). Child development as social action: Reflections on four underrated contributions of Edward Zigler to science and society. Development and Psychopathology, 33(2), 466–482. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579420001777

van der Kaap-Deeder, J., Vermote, B., Waterschoot, J., Soenens, B., Morbée, S., & Vansteenkiste, M. (2021). The role of ego integrity and despair in older adults’ well-being during the COVID-19 crisis: the mediating role of need-based experiences. European Journal of Ageing, 19(1), 117–129. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-021-00610-0

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Research on Physical and Cognitive Development

Research Paper
For Week 3 you conducted an annotated bibliography on a set of topics.

The major developmental theories for children and adolescents.
Impact of current trends on developing children and adolescents.
Impact of geography in the sequence of development.
Physical development from childhood through adolescence.
Cognitive development from childhood through adolescence.
Social and personality development from childhood through adolescence.
Emotion and language in varied contexts (e.g., home, school, peers).
Age-appropriate milestones and anomalies.
For this assignment, you will utilize that information and what you learned from this course in a research paper regarding the topics chosen.