Question

This assignment is about applying what you have learned about human development. I want you to think about different stages in life and describe what is happening at that stage of development.

Include physical, cognitive (Piaget), moral(Kohlberg), psychosocial (Erikson) development for the following ages.

5-10 years old

15 -18 years old

20-25 years old

35-45 years old

50-65 years old

80+ years old

Answer 1

The table shows the different stages of development as given by three different theories that are suitable for the age groups given in the question.

Age Levels (in years)	Stages of moral development (Kohlberg's theory)	Stages of cognitive development (Piaget's theory)	Stages of psychosocial development (Erikson's theory)
5 - 10	Preconventional level (both stage-1 & 2)	Preoperational stages; the concrete operational stage also starts.	Autonomy versus shame and doubt; Initiative versus guilt; and Industry versus inferiority begin to appear
15-18	Conventional level (both stages - 3 & 4, also stage-5 of post-conventional level starts)	Formal operational stage	Identity versus confusion
20-25	Post-conventional level remains	Formal operational stage	Intimacy versus isolation remains
35-45	Post-conventional level remains	Formal operational stage	Intimacy versus isolation remain until 40 years of age; Generativity versus stagnation just starts to appear
50-65	Post-conventional level remains	Formal operational stage	Generativity versus stagnation remains
80+	Post-conventional level remains	Formal operational stage	Integrity versus despair

The first column of the above-mentioned table indicates the age level as given in the question.

The second column represents the stages of moral development, proposed by Kohlberg, which are best suitable for the given age levels. The third column also represents the stages of cognitive development, proposed by Piaget, which are best suitable for the given age levels. Similarly, the fourth column represents the stages of psychosocial development, proposed by Erikson, which are best suitable for the given age levels. Now, we can see that these six types of age levels define cognitive, moral, and psychosocial development by using respective theories. For example, the age level of 5-10 years defines that children at this age tend to show moral reasoning based on obedience and punishment concerns; they tend to engage in imaginative thoughts as they are in the preoperational stage, and they tend to develop autonomy and to seek initiative in various tasks. Similarly, during the age level of 15 to 18 years, they tend to base their moral reasoning on conformity, interpersonal accord, authority, and social order; tend to develop formal thoughts, and tend to develop the sense of one's identity. However, we can see that, for the age level of 20-25, 35-45, 50-65, and beyond 80 years, there are no specific stages of development defined by Piaget's and Kohlberg’s theories. These theories are limited to adulthood (20-25 years of age). Whereas, Erikson's theory best defines stages across the life-span.