Adolescence: Cognitive Development Learning Objectives

1
Adolescence Cognitive DevelopmentLearning
Objectives

• Describe the intellectual development during
  adolescence, emphasizing egocentrism, gender
  differences, and adolescent concern for privacy
  and feelings of invulnerability.
• Describe how moral thinking in adolescence
  differs from moral thinking in younger children.
  Respond to the following statement, there are
  gender differences in moral development.

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Adolescence Cognitive DevelopmentLearning
Objectives

• Discuss the adolescent transition into high
  school by explaining how their transition affects
  both boys and girls, identifying drop-out rates,
  and citing causes for dropping out of high
  school.
• Discuss factors influencing employment choices
  after high school and describe the gender
  differences in employment rates and career
  outlook.

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Adolescence Cognitive DevelopmentTruth or
Fiction?

• Many adolescents see themselves as being on
  stage.
• It is normal for male adolescents to think of
  themselves as action heroes and to act as though
  they are made of steel.

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Adolescence Cognitive DevelopmentTruth or
Fiction?

• Adolescent boys outperform adolescent girls in
  mathematics.
• Most adolescents make moral decisions based on
  their own ethical principles and may choose to
  disobey the laws of the land if they conflict
  with their principles.

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Adolescence Cognitive DevelopmentTruth or
Fiction?

• The transition from elementary school is more
  difficult for boys than for girls.
• It is advisable for parents to help adolescents
  complete their homework.

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Adolescence Cognitive DevelopmentTruth or
Fiction?

• Adolescents who work after school obtain lower
  grades.

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The Adolescent in Thought

• My, My, How Formal

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What Is Meant by the Stage of Formal Operations?

• Cognitive maturity in Piagets theory
• Major achievements
• Classification
• Logical thought and deductive reasoning
• Ability to hypothesize
• Can think about abstract ideas
• Hypothetical thinking
• Can project beyond immediate experience
• Involved in lengthy fantasies and what if
  scenarios

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Lessons in Observation Piagets Formal
Operational Stage

• Explain the different ways in which
  preadolescents and adolescents address the
  question What if people had no thumbs?
• Describe how these different answers illustrate
  the idea of Piagets stage of formal operations.

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What Is Meant by the Stage of Formal Operations?

• Hypothetical thinking
• Can project beyond immediate experience
• Wrapped up in lengthy fantasies
• Sophisticated use of symbols
• Understand, create and use metaphors
• Deductive reasoning in moral judgments
• Utopian thinking

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A Closer Look - Research

• The Puzzle and the Pendulum

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The Pendulum Problem
Figure 15.1
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Reevaluation of Piagets Theory

• Changes in reasoning do occur during this age
• Formal operational thought is not universal
• Abstract thinking is more prevalent in
  technological societies
• May occur later than Piaget suggests, or not at
  all
• Do not apply formal operational thought with
  unfamiliar tasks

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How Is Adolescent Egocentrism Shown in
theImaginary Audience and in the Personal Fable?

• Imaginary Audience
• Belief that others are concerned with our
  appearance and behaviors
• May account for desire for privacy
• Explains preoccupation with appearance
• Personal Fable
• Our feelings and ideas are special
• Invulnerability
• Encourages risk-taking behaviors

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What Are the Sex Differences in Cognitive
Abilities?

• Females excel in verbal ability
• Girls acquire language earlier
• Boys more likely to have reading problems
• Boys excel in visual-spatial ability
• Visualize objects and mentally manipulate them
• Difference is greatest on mental rotation tasks
• Origins of the sex differences
• Biological
• Evolutionary
• Gender stereotypes

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Examples of Tests Used to Measure Visual-Spatial
Ability
Figure 15.2
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What Are the Sex Differences in Cognitive
Abilities?

• No sex differences for performance in math
• Most Americans have different expectation for
  boys and girls
• Girls tend to be more vulnerable when confronted
  with difficult math problems
• Sex differences are represented by group, not
  individual differences
• Sex differences represent cultural expectations

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Women Flood Professions Once Populated Almost
Exclusively by Men
Figure 15.3
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The Adolescent in Judgment

• Moral Development

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What Are Kohlbergs Views on Moral Reasoning in
Adolescence?

• Postconventional Level
• Based on persons own moral standards
• Stage 5 Contractual-legalistic orientation
• Laws are agreed upon, but rights should not be
  violated
• Stage 6 Universal ethical principles
• Reciprocity

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The Case of Heinz
Figure 15.4
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Age and Type of Moral Judgment
Figure 15.5
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Cross-Cultural Differences In Moral Development

• Post-conventional thinking more likely found in
  urban cultural groups and middle-class
  populations
• Self-oriented moral judgment in individualistic
  cultures
• Caring orientation in cultures with greater
  emphasis on others

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Sex Differences In Moral Development

• Carol Gilligan sex difference reflects patterns
  of socialization
• Female socialized to focus on need of others
  caring
• Male socialized to focus on justice
• Does this difference represent a deficiency?

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Is There a Relationship Between Moral Cognitive
Development and Moral Behavior?

• Positive relationship between moral development
  and behavior
• Postconventional does not appear until age 13
• Formal-operational thinking may be a prerequisite
• Education may play a role

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Evaluation of Kohlbergs Theory

• Research supports moral development in sequence
• Although most children do not reach
  postconventional level
• Kohlberg advocated an innate sequence universal
• Underestimated influence of social, cultural, and
  education institutions
• Postconventional thinking is all but absent in
  developing societies
• Universal principles may not be universal
• Ethical principles of Stage 6 may have western
  orientation

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The Adolescent in School
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How Do Adolescents Make the Transition from
Elementary School to Middle, Junior High, or High
School?

• Often move from smaller neighborhood school to
  larger impersonal setting
• In transition, adolescents
• Move from top dog to bottom dog
• Often experience decline in grades, participation
  in activities
• Drop in self-esteem
• Transition tends to be more difficult for girls
• Schools can ease the transition process

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A Closer Look - Research

• How Parents Can Help Early Adolescents in School

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What Are the Consequences of Dropping Out of
School? Why Do Adolescents Drop Out of School?

• High school dropouts
• Tend to be unemployed and make lower salaries
• Show problem behaviors, including substance abuse
• Who drops out
• Children from lower income families and older
  students have higher dropout rates
• Early predictors of school dropout
• Excessive school absence
• Reading below grade level

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Preventing Dropping Out

• Preschool intervention
• Early identification of high-risk
• Small class size, individualized attention
• Link learning to work experiences
• Involvement of family
• Positive school climate
• Reasonable educational goals

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The Adolescent at Work

• Career Development and
• Work Experience

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How Do Adolescents Make Career Choices?

• Career aspirations become more realistic as child
  matures
• Social Cognitive Perspective
• Abilities and personality traits
• View of career and relationship to student
• Expectancies
• Self-efficacy expectations

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A Closer Look Diversity

• Ethnic Identity and Gender in Career
  Self-Efficacy Expectancies

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Hollands Career Typology

• Match personality and careers to predict
  adjustment
• Six personality types
• Realistic - Investigative
• Artistic - Social
• Enterprising - Conventional
• May combine more than one personality type

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Assessing an Adolescents Career Type by
Attending a Job Fair
Figure 15.6
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How Many American Adolescents Hold Jobs?

• About 50 of sophomores, 2/3 juniors, and almost
  3/4 seniors work during the school year
• Girls and boys equally likely to work
• Boys work more hours
• 2 to 3 million adolescents work illegally

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Pros and Cons of Adolescent Employment

• Benefits of adolescent employment
• Develop sense of responsibility, self-reliance,
  discipline
• Acquire positive work habits and values
• Enhance occupational aspirations
• Middle class adolescents do not work to
  supplement family income
• Students who work long hours
• Report lower grades, higher rates of drug and
  alcohol use
• More delinquent behavior, lower self-esteem
• Spend less time in family activities