Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood

As children continue to grow, their cognitive skills keep on expanding. Children in middle childhood are perceived to have thought processes that continue to be more organized and logical when handling factual information. Children at this stage can digest simple concepts such as past, present, and the future, giving them the abilities to plan themselves out. However, theorists have come up with different perspectives that seek to explain how cognitive development in children. Robert Sternberg proposed a Triarchic theory that focuses on three types of intelligence: analytical, distinct, and practical (Paris et al., 2012). The theory focused on a practical approach where individuals can find solutions to problems, they face in everyday life by applying knowledge from their personal experiences and others. The Triarchic theory contradicts the traditional understanding of IQ, where intelligence is measured on class scores, especially in math. The theory's primary aim was to illustrate that there are other types of intelligence such as communication, emotional and creative intelligence, among others, that cannot be measured by how a child performs in math tests. The theory required teachers and parents to focus on intellectual intelligence and incorporate other types of intelligence that are also helpful in daily life. 

Knowing whether the child is growing normally and can perform mental operations such as paying attention, analyzing situations, and communicating thoughts, and finding create anxiety to many parents. However, to understand children's cognitive abilities in their middle childhood, one needs to test the four distinct types of mental factors. These factors include verbal reasoning, which tests the ability of a child to solve verbal problems and demonstrate full mastery of language and vocabulary knowledge. Also, one need to text the child’s quantitative and abstract reasoning by accessing their ability to solve math problems and using shape to solve complex problems. Lastly, one needs to test the child's memory retention ability. The test will show the types of intelligence that the child has strengths and weak ones, paving the way for improvement efforts. 

Reference 

Paris, Ricardo, Raymond, & Johnson. (2012). Middle Childhood - Cognitive Development. Faculty of Early Childhood Education .