Formal Operational Thought

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Formal Operational Thought
by MaryJane Kiefer
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Formal Operational Thought on the Cognitive
Development of Adolescents, 11 years and up
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Piaget

• Four stages of cognitive development
• sensorimotor stage (birth to 2 years)
• preoperational stage (2 to 7 years)
• concrete operational stage (7 to 11 years)
• formal operational stage (11 years and up)

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Formal Operational Thought

• Characteristics
• Effects on Personality and Behavior
• Achieving Formal Operational Thought
• Adolescent Education and Formal Operational
  Thought
• Problem Finding Stage

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Characteristics

• The thinking of adolescents
• Radically different
• Propositional logic
• Problem solving techniques
• systematically investigate
• record results
• formed logical conclusions
• Elkind the conquest of thought

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Effects on Personality and Behavior

• Idealism reflective thinking
• Discrepancy hypocrisy (say vs. do)
• Self-Consciousness and Egocentrism think about
  your own thoughts
• Conformity pressure to conform to peers
• Decentering and a Life Plan more objectivity
  and perspective

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Achieving Formal Operational Thought

• Ages and Percentages transformation from
  concrete to formal stage
• Test Level measuring
• Maturation and Intelligence - nervous system and
  thought
• Cross-Cultural Studies social experiences

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Adolescent Education and Formal Operational
Thought

• Traditional education methods vs. methods
  designed to encourage free-thinking
• Abstract thinking
• Problem solving
• Discussion groups
• Science experiments

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Problem-Finding Stage

• Evidence of a 5th stage of development
• Progressive changes in thought structure
• Cognitive growth is continuous

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Formal Operational Thought