Cognitive and Language Development in Infancy — Summary of Chapter 6 from The Developing Person Through the Life Span

Infancy is a time of profound mental growth. Chapter 6 of Kathleen Stassen Berger’s The Developing Person Through the Life Span explores how babies progress from reflexive behaviors to active learners who engage with their environment, begin forming concepts, and acquire language. This chapter introduces key theories and stages of infant cognitive and linguistic development that form the foundation for lifelong learning.

Watch the video above for a clear audio walkthrough of infant learning and language milestones, or continue reading to explore how the brain and language blossom in the first two years of life.

Cognitive Development in the First Two Years

Active Learning from Birth

Infants are not passive observers. They are naturally curious, using their senses and motor skills to explore their surroundings. From birth, they show preference for human voices and facial expressions, focusing their attention on emotionally and socially significant cues. They even demonstrate an early understanding of physical concepts such as gravity, object permanence, and gaze-following—what researchers refer to as core knowledge.

Piaget’s Sensorimotor Intelligence

Jean Piaget identified six stages of sensorimotor intelligence—a framework for understanding how infants process information through sensory experiences and motor activity.

The Six Stages of Sensorimotor Development

• Primary Circular Reactions: Focus on the infant’s body (e.g., thumb-sucking).
• Secondary Circular Reactions: Focus on interacting with people and objects (e.g., clapping hands to play a game).
• Tertiary Circular Reactions: Exploration through trial and error (e.g., dropping objects to observe different effects).

Object Permanence

This is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when out of sight. Piaget suggested it develops around 8 months, although newer research indicates infants may grasp this concept earlier.

Language Development

Universal Sequence of Language Acquisition

Across cultures, infants follow a predictable sequence in learning to communicate:

• Babbling (6–9 months): Repeating consonant-vowel sounds like "ma-ma" or "ba-ba".
• First Words (around 12 months): Often holophrases, or single words expressing entire thoughts.
• Naming Explosion (18 months): A rapid increase in vocabulary, particularly nouns.
• Grammar Development: Toddlers begin combining words and applying basic rules of syntax.

Theories of Language Learning

1. Infants Need to Be Taught

This theory is grounded in behaviorism. It emphasizes reinforcement, association, and repetition. When caregivers praise or respond to an infant’s vocalizations, it encourages continued verbal effort.

2. Social Interaction Theory

This view holds that social impulses drive language development. Infants are motivated to communicate because of their desire to be part of a social world. Responsive caregivers help infants engage in meaningful exchanges.

3. Innate Language Ability

Noam Chomsky proposed that humans are born with a Language Acquisition Device (LAD)—a mental structure enabling the instinctive understanding of grammar and language patterns, regardless of specific languages spoken.

4. A Combined Approach

Contemporary research supports an integrated perspective. Language development is best understood as a result of biological predispositions, social interactions, and learning through experience—each reinforcing the other.

Conclusion: The Foundations of Learning and Language

Chapter 6 highlights that infants are not merely passive recipients of care. Instead, they are active participants in their own development, capable of learning and communicating from birth. Cognitive skills like object permanence and motor-driven exploration lay the groundwork for future thought, while language emerges through a complex interplay of biology, interaction, and reinforcement.

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