The Developing Person Through the Life Span 8e

by Kathleen Stassen Berger

Chapter 15- Adolescence:Cognitive Development

PowerPoint Slides developed by Martin Wolfger and Michael JamesIvy Tech Community College-BloomingtonReviewed by Raquel HenryLone Star College, Kingwood

Adolescent Thinking Adolescent egocentrism

• An aspect of adolescent thinking that leads young people (ages 10 to 14) to focus on themselves to the exclusion of others.

Adolescent Thinking • Personal fable

– An adolescent’s belief that his or her thoughts, feelings, or experiences are unique, more wonderful or awful than anyone else’s.

• Invincibility fable– An adolescent’s egocentric conviction that he or

she cannot be overcome or even harmed by anything that might defeat a normal mortal, such as unprotected sex, drug abuse, or high-speed driving.

Adolescent Thinking

Imaginary audience• The other people who, in an adolescent’s

egocentric belief, are watching and taking note of his or her appearance, ideas, and behavior. – This belief makes many teenagers self-

conscious

Adolescent Thinking

• Formal operational thought– Piaget’s fourth and final stage of cognitive

development, characterized by more systematic logic and the ability to think about abstract ideas.

• Hypothetical thought– Reasoning that includes propositions and

possibilities that may not reflect reality. Reasoning about if-then propositions.

Adolescent Thinking • Deductive reasoning (top-down reasoning)

– Reasoning from a general statement, premise, or principle, through logical steps, to figure out (deduce) specifics.

• Inductive reasoning (bottom-up reasoning)– Reasoning from one or more specific

experiences or facts to a general conclusion; may be less cognitively advanced than deduction.

Hypothetical-Deductive Reasoning

Intuitive, Emotional Thought

• Adolescents find it much easier and quicker to forget about logic and follow their impulses.

• Dual-process model– The notion that two networks exist within the

human brain, one for emotional and one for analytical processing of stimuli.

Intuitive, Emotional Thought• Intuitive thought

– Arises from an emotion or a hunch, beyond rational explanation, and is influenced by past experiences and cultural assumptions.

• Analytic thought– Results from analysis, such as a systematic

ranking of pros and cons, risks and consequences, possibilities and facts. Depends on logic and rationality.

Common Fallacies

Sunk cost fallacy• Mistaken belief that when a person has

spent money, time or effort that cannot be recovered, they should continue to try to achieve the goal so that effort was not wasted.

i.e. staying in a class that you are failing

Common Fallacies

Base rate neglect• A common fallacy in which a person

ignores the overall frequency of a behavior or characteristic in making a decision.

i.e. not wearing a bike helmet, despite statistics, until a friend is brain-damaged in a biking accident

Thinking About Religion

• Most adolescents (71%) felt close to God• Most (78 %) were the same religion as

their parents• Some adolescents (2%) are agnostic• Others (16%) are not religious • Adolescent religious beliefs tend to be

egocentric, faith being a personal tool

Teaching and Learning

• Secondary education– The period after primary education (elementary or

grade school) and before tertiary education (college). It usually occurs from about age 12 to 18, although there is some variations by school and by nation.

• Middle school– A school for children in the grades between

elementary and high school, usually grades 6-8.

Teaching and Learning

Technology and Cognition• The digital divide is the gap between students who

have access to computers and those who do not. In the United States and most developed nations, this gap has now been bridged due to computers in schools.

• The Internet and other forms of electronic technology can accelerate learning, but what they have to teach may not always be beneficial.

The Dangers of Technology

• Adolescent cognitive growth benefits from shared experiences and opinions.

• Often communication via the Internet bolsters fragile self-esteem.

• Adolescents sometimes share personal information online without thinking about the possible consequences.

• Sexual abuse and addiction of technology can occur

The Dangers of Technology

Cyberbullying• occurs via Internet insults and rumors, texting,

anonymous phone calls, and video embarrassment.

• Some fear that the anonymity provided by electronic technology brings out the worst in people.

• One expert on bullying believes that cyberbullying is similar to other forms, new in mode but not in intent or degree of harm.

The Dangers of Technology

• Some teens use the Internet to pursue a secret action, such as extreme dieting, abusive prejudice or self-mutilation.

• Cutting– An addictive form of self-mutilation that is most

common among adolescent girls and that correlates with depression and drug abuse.

The Transition to a New School

Entering a New School• The transition from one school to another

often impairs a young person’s ability to function and learn.

• Changing schools just when the growth spurt is occurring and sexual characteristics are developing is bound to create stress.

Teaching and Learning

High School• In theory and sometimes in practice, high schools

promote students’ analytic ability.• In the United States, an increasing number of high

school students are enrolled in classes that are more rigorous and require them to pass externally scored exams.

• Another manifestation of the trend toward more rigorous education is the greater number of requirements that all students must fulfill in order to receive an academic diploma.

Teaching and Learning

High-stakes test• An evaluation that is critical in determining

success or failure. • A single test that determines whether a

student will graduate or be promoted• In 2009, 26 U.S. states required students to

pass a high-stakes test in order to graduate.

Teaching and Learning

• In the U.S., one result of pushing almost all high school students to pursue an academic curriculum is college preparedness.

• Another result is that more students drop out of high school.

• East Asian nations are moving in the opposite direction due to stressed out students.

Those Who Do Not Go To College

• 1/3 of U.S. high school students and 2/3 worldwide do not go to college

• PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment)– A test designed to measure cognition needed in adult

life.• Taken by many 15-year-olds in 50 countries to test how

well they can apply what they have learned. U.S. students tend to not do well.

Those Who Do Not Go To College