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8. “Cognitive development” is age dependent and domain specific.
Dynamic Skill Theory scientifically lays out the ages at which new cognitive potential arrives. Cognitive development is therefore age dependent. Due to the popularity of IQ tests, it is common to assume that a single intelligence quotient can sum up the cognitive development of any individual. This is non-sensical. It is non-sensical because cognition is not only age dependent, but it is domain specific — that is, one person’s cognitive development in the domain of ‘Math’ has little to do with their cognitive development in ‘History’ or ‘English’, or any other non-related subject. Each domain fosters its own ‘tree of knowledge’ in the brain, so to speak. There is of course overlap where needed. Indeed, creativity stems from and depends upon cross-domain overlap. It is much like the cross-fertilization that occurs across real trees and plants in the wild that brings upon natural variability. However, for the most part, it is more useful to realize that cognitive development occurs per domain, independently. In this sense, our brains are like our very own eco-system; different areas grow plants and trees in different ways, yet they all dynamically affect each other, cross-fertilize each other when possible, and they all grow within natural cyclical parameters.
[read about Fischer's Dynamic Skill Theory http://fab-efl.com/page11/page12/index.html]
Q. Cynics (and perhaps overly conceited people) may disagree with this maxim on a very personal level. They may find it hard to believe that their cognition fell into a set pattern along with other humans. What are your thoughts on this?
Dynamic Skill Theory scientifically lays out the ages at which new cognitive potential arrives. Cognitive development is therefore age dependent. Due to the popularity of IQ tests, it is common to assume that a single intelligence quotient can sum up the cognitive development of any individual. This is non-sensical. It is non-sensical because cognition is not only age dependent, but it is domain specific — that is, one person’s cognitive development in the domain of ‘Math’ has little to do with their cognitive development in ‘History’ or ‘English’, or any other non-related subject. Each domain fosters its own ‘tree of knowledge’ in the brain, so to speak. There is of course overlap where needed. Indeed, creativity stems from and depends upon cross-domain overlap. It is much like the cross-fertilization that occurs across real trees and plants in the wild that brings upon natural variability. However, for the most part, it is more useful to realize that cognitive development occurs per domain, independently. In this sense, our brains are like our very own eco-system; different areas grow plants and trees in different ways, yet they all dynamically affect each other, cross-fertilize each other when possible, and they all grow within natural cyclical parameters.
[read about Fischer's Dynamic Skill Theory http://fab-efl.com/page11/page12/index.html]
Q. Cynics (and perhaps overly conceited people) may disagree with this maxim on a very personal level. They may find it hard to believe that their cognition fell into a set pattern along with other humans. What are your thoughts on this?
