Topic 9: Adolescent Cognitive Development

1. Topic 9:Adolescent Cognitive Development

2. Cognitive development • Mental activities • Cognitive development • Organization and thinking process • Reasoning abilities

3. Changes in the adolescent stage: • Language ability • Ability in making decision • Memory and reasoning capacity

5. Piaget’s Theory • Concrete Operational stage (6-11)  Thinking and reasoning ability is limited  only to object that can be seen concretely. • Formal Operational stage ( 12 & above). • Hypothesis testing (scientific & matured) • Understand complex and abstract issues. • Predict & Planning • Long term planning

6. Cognitive Development increases markedly during adolescence! ~Teens begin to use formal operations to solve problems during this period of their growth. • Piaget’s approach to cognitive development has had a significant influence on developmental psychologists. • FORMAL OPERATIONS PERIOD is the stage during which people develop the ability to think abstractly. • Piaget asserted that children enter this stage at the beginning of adolescence

7. Criticisms of Piaget's theory and approach • Research finds individual differences in cognitive abilities not universal. • Some researchers suggest that cognitive development is more continuous, less step-like than Piaget proposed. • Piaget underestimated the skills of infants and young children. • Piaget focused only on thinking and knowing, missing other kinds of intelligence.

8. Full capabilities of using principles of logic unfold gradually, throughout early adolescence (approximately ages 12 to 15). • But not everyone achieves formal operational skills (some studies estimate that 25 percent — 50 % of college students do not). • Social values/ culture also influence the achievement of these skills • Isolation, level of formal education, level of scientific sophistication in the community

9. Information Processing Approaches to Cognitive Development • Information Processing Perspectives assert that one of the key reasons that mental abilities advance during adolescence is the growth of metacognition • The growth of METACOGNITION, the ability to think about one's own thinking process and their ability to monitor their cognition.

10. Egocentrism in Adolescent Thinking • ADOLESCENT EGOCENTRISM is a stage of self-absorption where the world is seen only from one's own perspective. • Thus adolescents are highly critical of authority figures, unwilling to accept criticism, and quick to find fault with others. • Adolescent egocentrism helps explain why teens often think they’re the focus of everyone’s attention!

11. Adolescent egocentrism leads to 2 distortions: • IMAGINARY AUDIENCE, where adolescents think they are the focus of everyone else's attention. • Constructing elaborate scenarios about other’s thoughts/intentions • PERSONAL FABLES, the belief that the adolescent is unique and exceptional and shared by no one else • No one understands me • Risk taking behavior

12. Adolescent Stage: • More complex thinking process - abstract thinking • Reasoning ability  based on available principles • Can compare and debate issues • Able to think the process of thinking • Thinking ability of a child and adolescent/ adult differs  more complex.

13. Cognitive changes in adolescent. • Systematic thinking ability • Cognitive changes gradually • Development towards formal operation differs for different individual  because their perceptions towards the world around them is different. • Issues related to emotions  can hinder adolescent to think complex issues. • Implication  can be positive or negative

14. Indicator influencing adolescent cognitive development: Early adolescent • More complex thinking  focused more on personal decision making (relates to home and school environment), such as: • Home/school work • Questions rules, authority, standard in society • Giving opinion towards certain topic of interest  that relates to their everyday chores/living • Best sports/games? • Good looking? • Change rules ?

15. Indicator influencing adolescent cognitive development: Middle adolescent • Thinking process increases and more developed  covers issues related to philosophy and the future: • Questions asked are more advanced • Analysis ability better • Think and form own code of thinking (what’s right?) • Thinking of other alternatives and form own identity (Who am I?) • More systematic thinking style  consider their goals in life (What do I want?) • Think about the future  long term planning. • Thinking ability are more systematic  influence behavior towards others.

16. Indicator influencing adolescent cognitive development: Late adolescent • More complex thinking process  focused on personal decision making but less self-centred. Issues such as:- • Global / advance issues  (justice, history, politics & patriotism) • Form own ideas about certain topics/issues. • Like to debate. • Thinking  more geared towards career development. • Started thinking about their role in society.

17. Factors influencing healthy cognitive development: • Involve them in discussions. • Encourage them to share ideas and opinions. • Help them to set their goals. • Encourage them to think of future possibilities. • Encourage and praise  where appropriate. • Assist them in making decision.

18. How cognitive development during adolescent can influence parent-child relationship? • Changes during adolescent (Physical, social, mental)  impact on their lives • Social • Physical • Thinking process • Consequent  Adolescent – Parents Conflict

19. Disagreement Topics • Galambos • Responsibilities, • Duties / house chores • Pocket money, dating • Friends • appearance • Barber • Families, • School • Curfews • Dating • Peers • Sexual behavior • Tubman  Conflict must occur  as a part of normal adolescent development.

20. Reasons for Parents-child conflict • Individuation period  adolescent set own identity  different from parents. • De-idealization  Adolescent are now aware that parents are not always right/perfect (started to think what’s logic and what’s not). • Advance in reasoning  abstract and logical thinking ability  reasoning ability. • Are more interested in the concept of JUSTICE, RIGHTS, EQUILITY. (Thus  can think and questions rules set by parents)

21. Conclusion • Even though conflicts always occurs  but its not harmful  will not threaten parents-child relationship. • In fact, conflict during adolescent is “simply a part of becoming an adult”. • Light (1990)  studies showed, some adolescent do • Admire their parents. • Discuss problems with parents. • Seek advise and opinion from parents • Love and feel loved by their parents • Feel treasured and respected by parents.

22. School Performance in the Adolescent Years • While cognitive abilities increase, school performance tends to decline. • Reasons not completely clear—more strict grading? • There is a strong relationship between educational achievement and socioeconomic status (SES) • Poorer children have fewer resources, lower health, more inadequate schools, and less involved parents. • There are ethnic and racial differences in school achievement but the reason for them is not clear. • In general, African-American and Hispanic students perform at lower levels than Caucasians and Asians perform at higher levels. • Additional success factors are the cultural value of school success, attributions of school success, and consequences for not doing well.