Figure 4: Development through the Ages: This figure shows the elaboration of the internal mental structure in an infant, a young child, and an adult. The exact same structure of thought exists in all three individuals. However, the level of elaboration and insternal structure differs. The infant is just creating the mapping structures of the senses. All the other structures of the mind, though present are poorely formed. The young child has well formed sensory maps, well formed categories and inner loops. The adult has developed the senses, mind and intellect levels and is now developing the feeling and ego levels. Lifespan psychologists have indicated that these last levels in the feelings and ego are what continue to develop in later adult life. This model proposes that the flow of thought and the internal mental structures of an infant and a 70 year old are identical. What changes in this model is the level of structure and elaboration of the levels. The arrows connecting different areas are indicitive of inner loops, the ability of an outflowing thought to trigger new inflowing perceptions directly.

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