Continuing Cognitive Development

I find it interesting that the majority of the theorists studied in current developmental psychology focuses almost exclusively on the cognitive development of infants and children. Taken to a literal extreme this would tend to imply that cognitive development ends, or is “accomplished” by the end of the teen years and the beginning of adulthood. While some theorist have begun to focus on the effects of age on cognitive faculties (how abilities deteriorate in old age) there remains a gap between the teen years and the senior years. Cognitive development continues throughout life including the adult years.
One of the pillars of development theory was Piaget. His theories describes cognitive development in stages: the sensorimotor stage (ages 0 –2); the pre-operational stage (ages 2-6); the concrete operational stage (ages 7 –11) and; the formal operational stage of cognition (ages 12 and above). I dispute the limited end stage and profess that there are other landmark ages of cognitive development. I would suggest a stage start at age 18 and would term it the age of responsibility. Another at age 25 corresponding to the beginning of the brain’s decrease in size. And again at age 35, which is the youngest age at which one could become president of the United States, representative of grey matter and wisdom.
More helpful to understanding a lifetime of cognitive development in my opinion, is the developmental stages outlined by Erickson. According to his theories, as opposed to Piaget and others, in each stage of development the person deals with multiple developmental conflicts. One never fully arrives; cognitive development never ends.
How cognitive development changes during the adult years is a neglected area of research in Developmental Psychology. More attention should be paid to the years between 12 and 70.

interviewing children

In a study done in interviewing techniques by Limberg, et al (2003) interviewers were trained in one or 3 procedure for assesing children form age 6 to 7 , who were interviewed after watching a film about a mother hitting her son. As result, researchers concluded that dolls and memory aids do not help on children's memory recallation, and first open question hurt recall. When interviewer digged more, this implied more suggestions and comfabulation; therefore one uncover incorrect information. They suggest let the children take over and remain silent after doing their first recall. Several studies have tested proceddure on how effective an intervention procedure is well performend, but in the case of the Jessy in the movie shown at class. His parent and him were victim of a lack of knowleage about how the police and intervieres coached and misleaded children in testifying erroneous information. There was even one children who strongly believed he was a victim of sexual abuse, When we was asked if he remembered all the events he described before about being abused at the computer calss, his answer was " no I can't rember" he also said after hypnosis he came out knowing he was abused by these two man. I not only felt sorry for Jessy who went to yell for 13yrs, his parent commiting suicide and a family completly in caos, but these children who were mislead and were condititoned to believe they were victims of abused. The person who was treated with hypnosis, I think was really affected and surely believed he vively had those horrible experiences. I could see in his body language, tone of voice that this hypnosis and interviewing procedure affected his memory and thier emotional state, which it was very harmful for them. Thankfully, interviewers in assesing children testimony are more aware on not only getting erronous info and not adding harmul emotional state to a child.