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Cognitive Development approaches

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1. stage approach 2. psychometric approach 3. information-processing approach -all 3 of these are valuable insights into complex patterns of adult cognition

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stage approach

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-describes shifts in the nature of thought, as in a postformal stage that follows the formal stage -CLASSNOTES: Piaget and 4 stages. think more long term, not so black and white. plan accordingly

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psychometric approach

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-analyzes intelligence via IQ tests and other measures -CLASSNOTES: IQ does not really change. compares you to majority of people in age bracket

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information-processing approach

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studies how the brain encodes, stores, and retrieves information

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postformal thought

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-proposed adult stage of cognitive development, after Piaget's four stages, that goes beyond adolescent thinking by being more practical, more flexible, and more dialectical (more capable of combining contradictory elements into a comprehensive whole) -more practical, more flexible, and more dialectical (able to consider and integrate opposing or conflicting ideas) -proposed a 5th stage because 4th stage, formal operational thought, was inadequate to describe adult thinking -5th stage of cognitive development combining a new "ordering of formal operations" with a "necessary subjectivity" -CLASSNOTES: this new way of thinking - having info and doing something with it. problem solve through info. time management is developing and expanding. learning there are ways to make it better for yourself

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contrast between 4th and 5th stage

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-how time is viewed -5th has a better idea of time management, especially part time students -less playful, more practical

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time management

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-is developing and expanding -struggle for emerging adults but usually mastered as cognition matures -more characteristics of part-time college students

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delay discounting

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-the tendency to undervalue, or downright ignore, future consequences and rewards in favor of more immediate gratification (like wanting $100 now, not $110 later) -as prefrontal cortex matures, people become better with planning ahead -reduced with age as prefrontal cortex matures -postformal thinking allows better planning; more practical -CLASSNOTES: want immediate gratification. delaying it is not there yet

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best way to learn

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progressively over time with better time management.

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Really a stage?

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-Piaget's theory of child cognition and post formal thought stage is controversial -prefrontal cortex is not fully mature until early 20's -most cultures describe adult thought as qualitatively different from adolescent thought -study ages 13-45 shows logical skills improved from adolescents to emerging adulthood then remained steady

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your brain going away to college vs. staying home for college

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-going away allows challenges to make you engage in problem solving -(more purple in the brain graph shows more planning)

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investigated age differences

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-Labouvie-Vief investigated age differences in self-descriptions -asked adolescents to describe themselves without knowing their ages; they categorized self descriptions: 1. protective 2. dysregulated 3. complex 4. integrated

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protective

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high in self-involvement, low in self doubt

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dysregulated

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fragmented, overwhelmed by emotions or problems

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complex

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valuing openness and independence above all

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integrated

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ability to reduce emotions and logic

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skill of postformal thinking

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to combine subjective and objective thought; dual processing

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subjective thought

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-arises from personal experiences and perception -thinking that is strongly influenced by personal qualities of the individual thinker, such as past experiences, cultural assumptions, and goals for the future -opinion based; how you feel

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objective thought

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-follows abstract, impersonal logic -thinking that is not influenced by the thinker's personal qualities but instead involves facts and numbers that are universally considered true and valid

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cognitive flexibility

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-the ability to be practical -to predict, to plan, and to combine objective and subjective mental processes -a characteristic more common in emerging adults than younger people -allows the adult to avoid retreating into either emotions or intellect -a hallmark of postformal cognition -help people deal with unexpected events -realize there are multiple views to the same phenomenon -listening to others, considering diverse opinions -a sign of flexibility -working together: can change their minds after listening -CLASS NOTES: you plan something one way but are forced to change plans. kids don't really have this. black and white for adolescent

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countering stereotypes

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-many adults have both unconscious prejudice and rational non-prejudice; even about themselves -an example of dual processing thinking -cognitive flexibility allows adults to recognize their emotional biases and then change to their thoughts

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stereotype threat

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-the worry that other people assume that you yourself are stupid, lazy, over-sexed, or worse because of your race, sex, age, or appearance -the thought in a person's mind that one's appearance or behavior will be misread to confirm another person's oversimplified prejudiced attitudes -the mere possibility of being negatively stereotyped arouses anxiety that can disrupt cognition as well as emotional regulation -makes people of all ages doubt their ability, which reduces learning if their anxiety interferes with cognition -it is self handicapping -a stereotype may cause someone to be anxious, causing them to play into the stereotype -postformal thinking allows people to overcome fear and anxiety

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the threat of bias

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if students fear that others expect them to do poorly in school because of their ethnicity or gender, they might not identify with academic achievement and therefor do worse on exams than they otherwise would have

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dialectical thought

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-postformal thought, at its best, becomes dialectical thought, which may be the most advanced cognitive process -characterized by the ability to consider a thesis and its antithesis and arrive at a synthesis -makes possible an ongoing awareness and being able to see the pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages, possibilities and limitations -rare in adolescents , more often found in middle-aged people

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the word "dialectic"

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-refers to the philosophical concept, developed by Hegel two centuries ago, that every idea or truth bears within itself the opposite idea or truth -CLASS NOTES: coming up with thesis, developing antithesis, then the decision made (synthesis). developing pros and cons, then determining. thesis=pros; antithesis=cons; which is better for you? take everything into determination

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thesis

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-a proposition or statement of belief -the first stage of the process of dialectical thinking

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antithesis

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-a statement of belief that opposes the thesis

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synthesis

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a new idea that integrates the thesis and its antithesis, thus representing a new and more comprehensive level or truth -the third stage of the process of dialectical thinking -integrates original and opposite

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What does dialectical thinking involve?

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the constant integration of beliefs and experiences with all the contradictions and inconsistencies of daily life

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Examples of thesis/antithesis/synthesis

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-Vygotsky: Approach to education -Piaget: Cognitive dissonance and movement through stages -Life span researchers: crises and conflicts involves risks and opportunities -Arnett: Emerging adulthood

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-Vygotsky: Approach to education

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-Vygotsky believes learning is a social interaction within the zone of proximity development (with learners and mentors continually adjusting to one another) -take a dialectical approach to education

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-Piaget: Cognitive dissonance and movement through stages

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-Piaget thought conflict between new and old ideas was the fuel that fired a new stage of development

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-Life span researchers: crises and conflicts involves risks and opportunities

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-the occurrence and effective mastery of crises and conflicts represent not only risks, but also opportunities for new development

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-Arnett: Emerging adulthood

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-brain organization allows the young adult to move past dualism to multiplicity, which can be seen as moving past thesis and antithesis, arriving at a synthesis that recognizes the many aspects of truth

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dialectic thinkers

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see relationships as constantly evolving, so divorce is caused by changing and not adapting to eachother

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SUMMING UP

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-postformal thought=5th stage of cognition, following Piaget's 4th stage of formal operational thought -adults may be better able to combine emotion and logic, both halves of the dual processing of adolescents -postformal thinking is practical, flexible, and dialectical -cognitive advances in adulthood partly because adults have responsibilities that require both logical analysis and emotional reactions, so problem solving is likely to encourage adults to think of many solutions before they select the best one for the particular circumstance -cognitive advances and flexibility may allow adults to overcome their stereotypes, move beyond stereotype threat, and adapt their long-term relationships -some adults think dialectically, with thesis leading to antithesis then to synthesis

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morals and religion

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-adult responsibilities, experiences , and education are all crucial in shaping a person's ethics and affect moral reasoning and religious beliefs -developing morals begins in childhood -maturation of values appears first in emerging adulthood -moral decisions are least likely in early adolescence -moral decision making rises as people mature and confront various issues

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Paradox in morals and religion

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-attending religious services becomes less frequent, but developing religious convictions becomes more frequent

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moral values

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-powerfully affected by the circumstance, such as national background, culture, and era -culture determines whether or not a particular issue is a moral one -the power of culture makes it difficult to assess whether adult morality changes with age because changing opinions can be judged as improvements or declines -opinions change as time changes. does this mean morals are changing? its the culture -moral thinking improves with age -more open, dialectical, and flexible thinking is more ethical

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Why is it good that adolescent egocentrism lessens?

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Because emerging adults often experience dilemmas that raise moral issues that egocentrism would interfere with resolving

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morality of care

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moral principles that reflect the tendency of females to be reluctant to judge right and wrong in absolute terms due to socialization; because they are socialized to be nurturing, compassionate, and non-judgmental -they give human needs and relationships the highest priority -CLASS NOTES: women tend to ponder

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morality of justice

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moral principles that reflect the tendency of males to emphasize justice over compassion, judging right and wrong in absolute terms -they are taught to distinguish right from wrong -CLASS NOTES: men are more black and white; quick to make decisions (no other research has found gender differences in moral thinking)

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Defining Issues Test (DIT)

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-another way to measure moral thinking -developed by James Rest -ranks moral thinking by having the test takers rank possible solutions to moral dilemmas -it presents a series of questions with specific choices -it is designed to assess respondents' level of moral development by having them rank possible solutions to moral dilemmas -scores rise with age

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Critics of DIT

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-critics complain that it only measures some parts of moral development because it is difficult to measure all factors like religious conviction, postformal thought, moral courage, and social support. -one's moral choice may be opposite of another -measures are incomplete; only some parts of moral development are considered

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Stages of Faith

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-Fowler developed sequence of 6 stages of faith, building on the work of Piaget and Kohlberg -spiritual struggles: questioning, feeling unsettled, struggling, angry with God, etc 1. Intuitive-projective faith; ages 3-7 2. Mythic-literal faith, ages 7-11, some adults 3. Synthetic-conventional faith, conformist 4. Individual-reflective faith, active commitment 5. Conjunctive faith- postformal way of thinking, rarely achieved before middle age 6. Universalizing faith- transforming experience may cause this, rarely achieved

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Stage 1: Intuitive-projective faith

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-Faith is magical, illogical, imaginative, and filled with fantasy, especially about the power of God and the mysteries of birth and death. -ages 3-7

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Stage 2: Mythic-literal faith

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-take myth/stories literally -God rewards/punishes -believing simplistically in power of symbols -ages 7-11, some adults

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Stage 3: Synthetic-conventional faith

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-conformist stage -Faith is conventional -reflecting concern about other people and favoring "what feels right" over what makes intellectual sense

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Stage 4: Individual-reflective faith

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-intellectual detachment from the values of the culture and from the approval of other people -college age? -questioning authority figures and rely on their own understanding of the world -faith becomes an active commitment

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Stage 5: Conjunctive faith

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-both powerful and emotional ideas (like power of prayer and love of God) and rational conscious values (like worth of life vs. priorities) -accept contradiction -postformal way of thinking -rarely achieved before middle age

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Stage 6: Universalizing faith

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-powerful vision of universal compassion, justice, and love that compels them to live their lives in a way that others may think is either saintly or foolish -usually because of a transforming experience -rarely acheived

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SUMMING UP 2

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-moral issues challenge cognitive processes as people move beyond the acceptance of authority and past rebellion -culture values shape beliefs -women/men's beliefs because of biology (sex) or culture (gender)? -age/culture differences more evident than male/female differences -most become more open/reflective, less self centered in moral judgements and religious faith as they mature -can be measured in DIT test -life experience is crucial; encounter different things -result may be more flexibility and tolerance

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Effects of College

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-college graduates are deeper and more flexible thinkers -gaining education: secondary goal; financial goal: main goal -college correlates with better health: smokes less, eat better, exercise more, live longer. knowledge, self control, confidence, better job prospects -college improves verbal and quantitative abilities, adds knowledge of specific subject areas, teaches skills in various professions, and fosters reasoning and reflection -develop characteristics of postformal thinking, improves with each year of college -most contemporary students attend college primarily to secure their vocational and financial future -college also correlates with better health in a variety of ways -college experience itself causes progression

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Changes in the college context

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-college is no longer for the elite few -enrollment increased; leading to massification (lots of graduates now , rates of graduates increased) -rates of college grads worldwide is up -more females and different groups of people -technologically savvy -fewer students major in liberal arts, more in business and professions (like law and medicine)

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massification

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-the idea that college could benefit everyone (the masses) -the idea that establishes institutions of higher learning and encourages college enrollment

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Changes in institutions

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-US has twice as many colleges as it did 50 years ago -amount of colleges doubled -more diverse -income: reason to go to college and goal to get -more community colleges, more career programs -more part-time, woman, and minority hires -income is most important reason why particular emerging adult will go to college and graduate

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Evaluating the changes: diversity and enrollment

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-increased diversity of the student body is more likely to encourage than discourage cognition -interactions with different and diverse people lead to intellectual challenges and deeper thought; encourages cognitive development -more faculty are moving from lecture format to learning methods that require student interaction and foster learning -ways: 1) that require interaction among the students and 2) that fosters learning

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Evaluating the changes: Graduates and drop outs

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-correlation between college education and later income is stronger now than previously - due to the loss of unskilled jobs -poorer people will benefit more from college, but are more likely to drop out

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New pedagogical techniques that foster greater learning

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-Flipped class: students are required to watch videos of a lecture on their computers before class, and then class time is used for discussion, with the professor prodding and encouraging but not lecturing -online classes, like Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs): a course that is offered solely online for college credit. Typically, tuition is very low, and thousands of students enroll

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College in emerging adulthood

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-college seems to provide what is needed: a chance to postpone commitment while you're exploring new ideas and preparing for adulthood -learn to think deeply and reflectively, as postformal thinkers do

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SUMMING UP 3

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-life experiences advance thinking processes -college helps develop more dynamic and dialectical reasoning -college and reasons for college have changed -increase in numbers and diversity -more women -college education still promotes cognitive development, even with all these changes

Development Ch 18: Emerging Adulthood Cognitive Development – Flashcards

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