Final answer:
Children's development of information processing capabilities includes advancing in areas of logic, symbolic thinking, and understanding of others' perspectives. Key stages include preschool age where children's curiosity and symbolic play emerge, followed by more logical thought processes in middle childhood. Additionally, the acquisition of schemata as posited by Piaget plays a fundamental role in how children categorize and interpret new information.
Step-by-step explanation:
Children's Information Processing Capabilities
Children's cognitive development is a complex process where the child's mind organizes information to form logical and mathematical modes of rational thought. During preschool years (3-5 years old), children show significant progress in cognitive abilities such as counting, color recognition, and symbolic thinking, which includes pretend play and asking questions like "Why?". From 6-11 years old, children develop more logical and organized thought processes, understanding concepts of time, and the ability to plan and work toward goals, albeit with limited attention spans.
Children also reach important cognitive milestones as their ability to think, problem solve, and communicate evolves. For instance, by age five, they have extensive vocabularies, understand basic monetary concepts, and can engage socially with peers. The development of theory-of-mind (TOM) between 3 and 5 years old marks a significant milestone in realizing that others have different thoughts and feelings.
Famed developmental psychologist Jean Piaget posited that children develop schemata, or mental models, to categorize and interpret information, which they constantly update through assimilation and accommodation as they interact with the environment.