CDEV 9
Adolescence: Cognitive Development
The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence
Kathleen Stassen Berger | Eleventh Edition
Chapter 15
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
WHAT WILL YOU KNOW?
Why are young adolescents often egocentric?
Why does emotion sometimes overwhelm reason?
Is cyberbullying worse than bullying directly?
What kind of school is best for teenagers?
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Logic and Self (part 1)
An adolescent’s development moves from egocentrism to abstract logic.
Brain maturation
Intense conversations
Schooling
Moral challenges
Increased independence
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
3
Logic and Self (part 2)
Adolescent egocentrism
Characteristic of adolescent thinking that leads young people (ages 10 to 14) to focus on themselves to the exclusion of others
Acute self-consciousness about physical appearance greatest between ages 10 and 14
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Egocentrism and obsession with appearance are hallmarks of adolescence, as shown by these high school cheerleaders. Given teenage thinking, it is not surprising that many boys and girls seek stardom, sometimes making competition fierce within teams and between schools. Cooperation and moderation are more difficult.
Because adolescents are focused on their own perspectives, their emotions may not be grounded in reality. For many teenagers, self-esteem and loneliness were closely tied to their perception of how others saw them, not to their actual popularity or acceptance among their peers. Gradually, after about age 15, some gained more perspective and became less depressed.
4
Logic and Self (part 3)
Egocentrism leads adolescents to interpret everyone else’s behavior as if it were a judgment on them.
Imaginary audience
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.
The imaginary audience dominates online.
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Egocentrism reassessed:
Previous research suggests egocentrism fosters adolescent risk-taking.
Current perspective proposes egocentrism may be protective.
Adolescents who feel psychologically invincible tend to be resilient.
5
Logic and Self (part 4)
Personal fable
Aspect of adolescent egocentrism characterized by an adolescent’s belief that his or her thoughts, feelings, or experiences are unique, more wonderful or awful than anyone else’s.
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Logic and Self (part 5)
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
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Duck, Duck, Goose: Far more teens are injured in bicycle accidents than hunting ones, because almost all young people ride bicycles and relatively few are hunters. However, especially when no adult is present, young hunters are less likely to wear blaze orange, to attend safety classes, and to be licensed to hunt. Most likely these boys will return home safe, without the duck they seek. However, guns and off-road vehicles are leading causes of death for those under age 18.
7
Adolescent Cognitive Development (part 1)
Formal operational thought: Piaget
Fourth and final stage of cognitive development
Characterized by more systematic logic and the ability to think about abstract ideas
Examples seen in adolescent math, social science, and science performance
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Formal Operational Thought
Dual processing and the brain
Limbic system is activated by puberty; prefrontal cortex matures more gradually.
Cortical regions involving impulse control continue to develop through early adulthood.
Subcortical regions involving sensation seeking develop rapidly after puberty.
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Piaget’s Experiments
Piaget and his colleagues devised a number of tasks to assess formal operational thought.
A balancing task required balancing a scale with weights.
Skill in logically solving the task improved with age.
Let’s take a closer look on the next slide.
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
How to Balance a Scale
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Piaget’s balance-scale test of formal reasoning, as it is attempted by (a) 4-year-old, (b) 7-year-old, (c) 10-year-old, and (d) 14-year-old. The key to balancing the scale is to make weight times distance from the center equal on both sides of the center; the realization of that principle requires formal operational thought.
11
Adolescent Cognitive Development (part 2)
Hypothetical-deductive reasoning
Includes reasoning that uses propositions and possibilities that may not reflect reality
Transforms perceptions
May complicate decision making with immediate, practical questions
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Adolescent Cognitive Development (part 3)
Deductive Reasoning
Reasoning from a general statement, premise, or principle, through logical steps, to figure out (deduce) specifics
Sometimes called top-down reasoning
Inductive reasoning
Reasoning from one or more specific experiences or facts to a general conclusion; may be less cognitively advanced than deduction
Sometimes called bottom-up reasoning
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
13
Deductive Reasoning and Racism
Children
Reason inductively that some people are prejudiced; argue
Adolescents
Think deductively that racism is society-wide; policy solutions
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Two Modes of Thinking: Intuition Versus Analysis
Variation in thinking at every age
Advanced logic in adolescence is counterbalanced by the increasing power of intuitive, dual-processing thinking
Intuitive thought
Analytic thought
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Analytic thought is more difficult than intuition, and it requires examination of comforting, familiar prejudices.
Once people of any age reach an emotional conclusion, they resist changing their minds.
Intuitive thought:
thought that arises from an emotion or a hunch, beyond rational explanation, and is influenced by past experiences and cultural assumptions.
Analytic thought:
thought that results from analysis, such as a systematic ranking of pros and cons, risks and consequences, possibilities and facts. Analytic thought depends on logic and rationality.
15
Two Modes of Thinking (part 1)
Preferring emotions
Rational judgment is difficult when egocentric emotions dominate.
Experience in decision making and thinking facilitates more accurate use of analysis.
Rewards and reasons
Cortical regions (impulse control and planning) mature through early adulthood.
Subcortical regions (emotional novelty and reward) are most responsive in middle adolescence.
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Trends in Impulsivity and Sensation Seeking
Look Before
You Leap
Adolescents become less impulsive as they mature, but they still enjoy the thrill of a new sensation.
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Two Modes of Thinking (part 2)
Better thinking
Intuitive decisions are not always best.
With maturity, adolescents gradually balance formal analytic thinking and emotional, experiential thinking.
Quicker, emotional, intuitive thinking is sometimes better than analytic thought.
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Digital Natives
With decreasing price, the smartphone has been particularly important at creating digital natives among low-SES adolescents of every ethnic group.
Discrepancies in number and quality of devices still follow SES lines.
Most notable digital divide is now age.
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Technology and Cognition (part 1)
Technology may speed up education during the adolescent years.
It also may subvert some kinds of learning or learning processes (e.g., reflection and analytic thinking), especially as this relates to evaluation of what is seen on the screen.
How might this apply to adolescent
evaluation of “fake news”?
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Sexual Abuse
Older, unknown, online predators are rare.
Solicited online abuse is less than 1 percent and most often occurs with known person (e.g., friend, coach, clergy, relative.)
Sexual harassment in social networking is common, especially after a breakup.
Discussion is often directed to moral outrage against an individual rather than to sexism and homophobia.
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Technology and Cognition (part 2)
For some adolescents, online chat, message boards, gaming, and Internet gambling can become addictive.
Time is taken from needed play, schoolwork, and friendship.
Reviewing research from many nations, one team of researchers report addiction rates from 0 and 26 percent .
The variation was caused more by differing definitions and procedures among researchers than by differences among students in any particular place.
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Technology and Cognition (part 3)
Cyberdanger
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.
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Cyberdanger
Cyberbullying
Bullying occurs when one person repeatedly spreads insults or rumors about another by means of social media posts, e-mails, text messages, or cell phone videos.
The anonymity provided by electronic technology often brings out the worst in people.
Cyberbullying may contribute to dangerous, self-destructive behavior of victim.
All forms of bullying are affected by school climate.
Fake Face in Georgia
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
24
Technology and Sex
Sexting
As many as 30 percent of adolescents report receiving sexting photos, with marked variation by school, gender, and ethnicity—and often in attitude.
Dangers
Pictures may be forwarded without the naked person’s knowledge.
Senders who deliberately send erotic self-images risk serious depression if the reaction is not what they wished.
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Teaching and Learning: Definitions and Facts
Secondary education
Period after primary education (elementary or grade school) and before tertiary education (college)
Usually occurs from about age 12 to age 18, although the age range varies somewhat by school and by nation
Middle school
School for children in the grades between elementary and high school
Usually begins with grade 5 or 6 and ends with grade 8
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Middle School
Increasing behavioral problems
For many middle school students, academic achievement slows down and behavioral problems increase.
Decline in school interest and engagement
Bullying
Change in student-teacher engagement
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Coping with Middle School
The first year in any new school (middle school, high school, or college) correlates with increased bullying, decreased achievement, depression, and eating disorders.
Transition from one school to another often affects ability to function and learn.
Changing schools just when the growth spurt is occurring and sexual characteristics are developing is bound to create stress.
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Teaching and Learning: Middle School (part 1)
Finding acclaim
Mismatch between egocentrism and changing school structure
Public acclaim difficult and many students seek peer acceptance
Competitive athletic teams may be too difficult for children with fragile egos
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
29
Teaching and Learning: Middle School (part 2)
Coping with middle school
Blaming others
Entity approach to intelligence (hidden curriculum)
Incremental approach to intelligence
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Entity approach to intelligence:
sees ability as innate, a fixed quantity present at birth
reject idea that effort enhances achievement.
Incremental approach to intelligence:
poses intelligence can be directly increased by effort
believe they can master whatever they seek to learn if they pay attention, participate in class, study, and complete their homework.
30
High School (part 1)
High-stakes test
Involves evaluation that is critical in determining success or failure
Determines if a student will graduate or be promoted
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
In the United States, one result of pushing almost all high school students to pursue an academic curriculum is that more are prepared for college. Another result is that more students drop out of high school.
31
High School (part 2)
Problems of middle school continue in high school.
College-bound
Teachers assume students have mastered formal thinking, instead of teaching how to do it.
Increased classes assessed by externally scored exams do not assure college readiness.
In 2016, AP classes were taken by about one-third of all high school graduates, compared to less than one-fifth (19 percent) in 2003.
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Opposing Perspective
Testing
Secondary students in the United States take many more tests than they did even a decade ago—including high-stakes tests.
Are high-stakes tests like used in many places in the United States effective or ineffective?
How do you know?
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
U.S. High School Dropout Rate
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Mostly Good News: This depicts wonderful improvements in high school graduation rates, especially among Hispanic youth, who drop out less than half as often as they did 20 years ago. However, since high school graduation is increasingly necessary for lifetime success, even the rates shown here may not have kept pace with the changing needs of the economy. Future health, income, and happiness may be in jeopardy for anyone who drops out.
34
Alternatives to College
About 30 percent of U.S. high school graduates do not go to college.
Only 37 percent of U.S. students earn a B.S. degree 10 years post high school graduation with a lower rate in large cities.
Vocational education geared toward job preparation is advised by some.
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Measuring Practical Cognition (part 1)
PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment)
International test taken by 15-year-olds in 50 nations that is designed to measure problem solving and cognition in daily life
Overall, the U.S. students did worse on the PISA than on the PIRLS or TIMSS.
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning
Measuring Practical Cognition (part 2)
PISA correlates with high achievement.
Overall, all stakeholders value education, and individualized learning approaches are used.
Standards are high and clear.
Teachers and administrators are valued.
Learning is prioritized across the entire system.
Copyright © 2018 by Macmillan Learning