Ch. 18
Emerging Adulthood: Cognitive
Development
MR. ALAS, MA
HCC – STAFFORD
SPRING 2015
Why Is Postformal Thought Important?
Teens and others who use formal operational thinking have a strong
tendency to defer to the opinions of others, particularly authorities, in
determining a "right answer" to a problem.
While there are certainly many "right answers" for issues such as the
atomic weight of gold or the temperature at which water boils, most of
the issues facing adults today are far less clear. Independent, critical
thinking about complex issues is a very important adult skill, especially
in a democracy.
POST FORMAL THOUGHT – THE PRATCTICAL
THE PERSONAL: A FIFTH STAGE?
Formal-operational thinking is absolute, and involves making decisions
based on personal experience and logic.
Post-formal thinking is more complex, and involves making decisions
based on situational constraints and circumstances, and integrating
emotion with logic to form context-dependent principles. The
distinction is a useful thing to understand when dealing with
emerging adults
Definition of Objective and Subjective
Objective is a statement that is completely unbiased. It is not touched
by the speaker’s previous experiences or tastes. It is verifiable by
looking up facts or performing mathematical calculations.
Subjective is a statement that has been colored by the character of the
speaker or writer. It often has a basis in reality, but reflects the
perspective through with the speaker views reality. It cannot be
verified using concrete facts and figures.
Examples of Objective and Subjective
Objective
scientific facts are objective as are mathematical proofs;
essentially anything that can be backed up with solid data.
Subjective
opinions, interpretations, and any type of marketing
presentation are all subjective.
Examples of Objective and Subjective
• Subjective vs Objective
COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY
The mental ability to adjust thinking or attention in response to
changing goals and/or environmental stimuli.
Researchers have more specifically described cognitive flexibility as the
capacity to shift or switch one’s thinking and attention between
different tasks or operations typically in response to a change in rules
or demands
STEREOTRYPE THREAT
• Stereotype Threat
• Stereotype Threat 2
• Barbie Test
FORMAL THOUGHT
• Heglegian Dialectic
MORAL REASONING
Stages of Faith
Stages of Faith and Doubt
COLLEGE?
• Public school to Prison pipeline