Module 05 : Cognitive

Development in the Toddler

and Preschool Years

Student Objectives:
To learn about the cognitive abilities of toddlers and
preschoolers
To understand Piaget’s Theory as it applies to toddlers
and preschoolers
To learn about the preoperational stage of cognitive
development
To learn about toddlers, preschoolers, and memory
To learn about toddlers, preschoolers, and language

5.1 Introduction
Thanks to the overview of cognitive
development that was presented in Module 3,
you should have a good idea of what this
module, about the cognitive development of
toddlers and preschoolers, is all about.

Up until this point, you know that children up to a year old

go through a lot as their cognitive brain develops. During the
toddler and preschool years, this trend continues. As with
other modules, the cognitive development of toddlers and
preschoolers will be described using Piaget’s theory, and it
will go into detail about how the theory explains this type of
development.
5.2 Toddlers, Preschoolers, and
Cognitive Development

Toddlers and preschoolers offer an excellent example of how a

child can play a very active role in their cognitive
development.

This is especially the case when they take control and attempt
to understand, organize, predict, and construct. At this age,
children often see patterns in their environment, and then
they try to organize the patterns to explain their world.

Though they have come far from birth, toddlers and

preschoolers have limitations when it comes to their cognitive
abilities. They cannot yet control the function of their
memory and attention, and often confuse make-believe with
reality.
Additionally, they can only focus on a single experience at a
time and become confused when attempting to explain a
multidimensional experience. Children across the world tend to
behave similarly during this phase, and those ranging from
ages two to six generally have the same cognitive experiences.

5.3 Piaget’s Theory and the

Preoperational Stage
Piaget’s theory explains the cognitive
development that children from the ages of
two and seven go through as the
preoperational stage.

During the preoperational stage, a child will increase their

use of language and symbols, their play, and their imitation
of the behaviors. They often become fascinated with words,
both good and naughty ones, and have an extremely active
imagination filled with make-believe and imaginary friends.

This stage is also described in combination with things a

child cannot do. To explain this, Piaget used the word
operational as he believed that this described the abilities
that a child has not developed. He also used the term
reversible to describe the physical or mental actions that
might go back and forth or in other directions. At this stage,
Piaget believed that children make use of a type of magical
thinking, or again, a world of make-believe, which is based on
a child’s sensory abilities and perception. They are, however,
also easily misled by living in this world.

For instance, they may be disappointed when asking their

grandpa for a gift over the phone, and it does not immediately
appear.
Furthermore, Piaget believed that the cognitive abilities of
children this age are limited by egocentrism. This is the
inability to be able to tell the difference between their
viewpoint and the viewpoint of others. The capacity of a child
to be egocentric is evident during all stages of cognitive
development, but it is particularly noticeable during this
time of their lives. However, children generally overcome this
when they learn that other people have feelings, desires, and
views that differ from their own.
Children at this stage might also interpret the motives of
others, and then use those interpretations to form a more
effective way to communicate.

For instance, they will learn to adjust their tone, pitch, and
speed of their speech to match those of others. This type of
mutual communication requires much effort, and because of
this, when they get frustrated, they often fall back into
their egocentric speech. In other words, when a child becomes
overwhelmed, it is not unusual for them to regress to previous
behavioral patterns.
Piaget further stated that children in this age range have not
yet mastered the ability to group things according to its
features, which he calls classification. Children have also
not mastered serial ordering, which is the ability to group
things by their logical progression. Though some children have
a talent for doing this at this point, most do not realize it
until they develop further.

To add to the rest of this, Piaget also believed that toddlers

and preschoolers are unable to understand the concept of
conservation. This is the idea that physical properties are
constant even when the form or appearance changes.

For example, if you pour a specific volume of liquid from one

container to a differently-shaped container, the child will be
unable to understand that one container is not holding more
than the other. Another example is with money. A child at this
stage could believe that four quarters are worth much more
than a $10 bill simply because they have four quarters, which
is more than one bill.
It is essential to keep in mind, however, that other research
does not entirely support Piaget’s ideas, and some researchers
believe that children are not as operational, suggestible,
egocentric, or magical as the Piaget theory might present.

For example, Dr. Renee Baillargeon is a Canadian researcher

who found that toddlers of around two and a half years old
could use reversible mental thinking. Piaget, however, states
that this does not typically occur until after the child is
older than five or six years old. Baillargeon came to this
conclusion by setting up a room and then creating a replica of
said room. She hid a large pillow in the room, a small,
identical pillow in the replica, and then showed the child
where the identical pillow, albeit, smaller pillow, was hidden
in the replica room. The children were able to find the large
pillow simply by knowing where the small pillow was hidden.
Another researcher has shown that Piaget’s theory of
egocentrism might also not be entirely correct. Researcher
John Flavell has suggested that children who are two or three
years old can modify the way they speak. Piaget, however,
stated that this did not happen until they are older, around
four to five years old.

Today, research does show that children have both literal and
logical minds, where Piaget believed that they were only able
to use their literal mind. What does this tell us? It tells us
that Piaget was correct in all of his theories, but not in all
cases. Some children will fit perfectly into what Piaget
theorized, but others, of course, will not. Though there are
researchers who can show that not all of Piaget’s theories fit
in all cases, his theories are still used as the basis of
childhood cognitive development.

5.4 Toddlers, Preschoolers, and

Memory
We all know that memory is the ability to
take information, retain that information,
and then recall the information over time.

A toddler or preschooler has a lot to memorize, including

people, objects, and places.
Children, however, cannot remember as well as adults, or even
as well as older children. Additionally, toddlers and
preschoolers are much better at recognizing things than they
are at remembering. Researchers believe that this is due to
several possible causes.

One, for example, is that they may lack the aspects of brain
development that are necessary for memory. Another is that
these children do not have enough life experience when
processing this information. The third idea is that these
children do not have “selective attention,” which means they
are easily distracted. Finally, some believe that these
children do not have the mnemonic strategies to remember
things.
Nonetheless, toddlers and preschoolers have an intense
interest in the process of learning. What children may lack in
skills is often made up for with their initiative.

Children are inquisitive about their world, which gives them a

need to learn as much as they can, as quickly as they can.
Some children could even become frustrated when what they
learn does not come quickly, especially when comparing
themselves to older children.
However, when children are placed in a structured situation
where they are set up to succeed, they show that they can
memorize better than children in typical situations.

FACT
While both toddlers and preschool age children have
limitations with their cognitive abilities at this stage of
life, they serve as great examples of how children can be
active players in their own cognitive development, by
attempting to organize and construct patterns to explain how
they fit into the world around them.

Source: CPD

5.5 Toddlers, Preschoolers, and

Language
When it comes to language, the skills that
toddlers and preschoolers have improved
throughout their childhood.

Language is simply a way that we use certain symbols. So, a

child’s brain develops and acquires the capacity for thinking
in a way that helps them to not only acquire but also refine
their language skills.
There are researchers, such as Roger Brown, who have taken a
look at how language develops during childhood. He examined
the number of words in children’s sentences and determined
that the more words a child uses, the more sophisticated their
language development was. He suggested that language develops
in later stages. It starts with vocalization, which moves to a
phrase. The latter leads to simple, and then complex
sentences.

Preschoolers are always learning new words, and there are many
people, from parents and siblings to teachers and peers, who
give these children an opportunity to increase their
vocabulary. However, it is essential to remember that
acquiring language occurs in both a cultural and social
context. Their language development is also based on the
language they speak.
Toddlers and preschoolers can learn a language exceptionally
quickly when compared to older children and adults. This is
especially seen in the case of bilingual children. These
children learn two languages at the same time, and studies
show that these children can be completely fluent in both
languages by the time they are four years old. Beyond this
stage, it can become difficult for some to acquire an
additional language.

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Conclusion
Many people who start to study cognitive development are
amazed by how quickly infants develop during their first year,
but the development that occurs during the toddler and
preschool years is much more intense. These are the years
where a child learns how to interpret their environment, get
to know the people around them, and learn how to use language.
Additionally, children begin to develop their memory, which,
according to different researchers, might develop at different
times. As with most of psychology, there are a number of
theories that bring cognitive development into play. Though
the Piaget theory is one that most child psychologists,
teachers, and counselors are familiar with, there are new
theories coming around all of the time that could change the
way that we see cognitive development in toddlers and
preschoolers.

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