Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Adolescence:
Cognitive Development
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 15
The Adolescent in Judgment
Moral Development
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 15
Response to “Snow White”
Detention/Boys will be Boys
or...
What steps were taken with
Jimmy and his friends that helped
the boys reflect at a deeper level
of moral reasoning? Describe the
results.
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 15
What Are Kohlberg’s Views on Moral Reasoning
in Adolescence?
• Postconventional Level
– Based on person’s own moral standards
– Stage 5 Contractual-legalistic orientation
• Laws are agreed upon, but rights should not be violated
– Stage 6 Universal ethical principles
• Reciprocity
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 15
Is There a Relationship Between Moral Cognitive
Development and Moral Behavior?
• Positive relationship between moral development and behavior
• How can you advance moral reasoning?
– Discussions of moral dilemmas
– Role Models
– Literature
• Evaluation of Kohlberg’s theory
– Research supports development in sequence
– Do not appear to skip stages
– Universal, innate sequence
• Underestimated social, cultural and education institutions
– Universal principles may not be universal
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 15
The Adolescent in Thought
My, My, How “Formal”
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 15
What Is Meant by the Stage of Formal Operations?
• Highest level of Piaget’s 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
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 15
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
• Utopian thinking
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 15
Lessons in Observation: Piaget’s Formal Operational Stage
• Compare the responses of Julor, Jenny, and Alan to
the hypothetical question, “What if people had no
thumbs?”
– Which of these children has reached Piaget’s
formal operational stage of cognitive development?
On what basis did you make this decision?
• What is hypothetico-deductive reasoning?
– Do any of the children in the video use hypotheticodeductive reasoning to arrive at conclusions
regarding the “no thumbs” question? Cite specific
characteristics of their response that support your
answer.
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 15
A Closer Look
The Puzzle and the Pendulum
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 15
Figure 15.1 The Pendulum Problem
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 15
Reevaluation of Piaget’s Theory
• 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
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 15
How Is Adolescent Egocentrism Shown in the Imaginary
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
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 15
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
Cultural
Evolutionary
Environmental
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 15
What Are the Sex Differences in Cognitive Abilities?
• Boys tend to outperform girls in math
– Boys excel in geometry and word problems
– Girls show superiority in computational skills
• Sex differences are represented by group differences
• Sex differences represent cultural expectations
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 15
Developing in a World
of Diversity
Cross-Cultural and Sex Differences
in Moral Development
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 15
The Adolescent in School
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 15
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
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 15
A Closer Look
Beyond the Classroom: How Parents
Can Help Teenagers Improve Their
Academic Performance
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 15
What Are the Consequences of Dropping Out of School?
Why Do Adolescents Drop Out of School?
• High school drop outs
– Tend to be unemployed and make lower salaries
– Show problem behaviors, including substance abuse
• Who Drops Out
– Children from lower income families have higher drop out rates
– Predictors of school drop out
• Excessive school absence
• Reading below grade level
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 15
The Adolescent at Work
Career Development and
Work Experience
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 15
How Do Adolescents Make Career Choices?
• Career aspirations become more realistic as child matures
• Influences on career choice
– Abilities and personality traits
– Life experiences, parental expectations and economic factors
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 15
Figure 15.5 Assessing an Adolescent’s Career Type by Attending a “Job Fair”
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 15
Holland’s Career Typology
• Match personality and careers to predict adjustment
• Six personality types
– Realistic
– Artistic
– Enterprising
- Investigative
- Socially oriented
- Conventional
• May combine more than one personality type
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 15
Does Gender Affect Career Choice?
• Tend to follow gender stereotypes
– Most K-12 teachers and nurses are women
– Most truck drivers and upper-level managers are men
• Boys more likely to engage in occupational gender-typing
• Girls who select non-traditional careers
– Higher on self-efficacy expectations
– More often intellectually gifted
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 15
How Many American Adolescents Hold Jobs?
• Boys tend to work more hours
• Benefits of adolescent employment
– Develop sense of responsibility, self-reliance, discipline
– Acquire positive work habits and values
– Enhance occupational aspirations
• 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
• More than 50% high school students work part-time