Free Essay Example on Childhood vs. Adulthood: Cognitive & Social Development

Introduction

Childhood and adulthood are stages in the life of human being, and they have different features that can be depicted by their abilities and anatomic characteristics. There exist differences between children and adults, for it can be noted that their way of thinking, behaving, and acting is not the same. Some of the differences are noted in the cognitive and social development.

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Childhood Stage

The childhood stage is the level that the children are developing their cognitive abilities. At the adulthood level, it is expected that people have the same mental abilities that allow them to communicate with each other with ease. Persons at this level can be requested to perform tasks, and any objection that they raise can be effective in improving their decision-making process due to their high thinking capability. It is expected that the response they give will be correct and will be related to the matter under discussion. However, the individuals at the childhood level have different cognitive abilities. When engaging children in an activity, it is crucial first to understand their abilities. The move will make it easier to select the research method to use, the queries to raise, and the way to interpret the results. Their thinking is expected to improve with time as they continue to grow.

Another notable difference is in the case of social development. At adulthood level, people have a better understanding of the social rules, they have developed empathy, and they know that it is important to treat others diligently and with respect. However, at childhood level, people are mostly self-centered, and they raise their needs and wants above those of others. The perception on self tends to change with time as they familiarize themselves with the empathy concept.

The childhood stage is a level that people require to depend on others in almost all the aspects of their lives. They have to be fed and provided with shelter and clothing. However, they start developing an element of independence as they continue to grow and realize that there are various facets of life that they can manage on their own.

Adulthood Levels

At the adulthood levels, most of people are independent, and they can handle the different aspects affecting their life. There are instances they may depend on others, but these instances are few, and they are not comparable to the childhood stage.

Experience is another area that differences between adulthood and childhood can be noted in a significant way. Persons at the childhood level are less experienced, and they have to keep learning in their course of their life. They are likely to ask a lot of questions on simple issues for they want to learn, and this is an indication of their low levels of experience. At the adulthood stage, a person may have a long lifetime, which they have managed to gather a lot of information and experience. Therefore, they are more knowledgeable, and they are less likely to ask for information on some details for they have an understanding of the way they operate.

Differences

The differences can be anatomic and physiologic, with the children experiencing an increased rate of cell division as their bodies are developing. Their reproductive system is not developed at this stage, an indication that they cannot engage in the reproduction process. At the adulthood level, most of people are completely developed, and the cell division rates are minimal since it is only happening to replace the ones that are dying. Their reproductive system is active, and before menopause for adult women, they can manage to give birth to children.

Conclusion

Therefore, it is clear that there exists many differences between the two stages of human development and the adulthood level seems to have an upper hand, considering that the persons at this level can make their decisions and be independent. Their social ability is enhanced and their thinking level is advanced.