Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Chapter 11- part 2 Adolescence Module 5 Cognitive Development in Adolescence

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Cognitive Development Approaches Piaget Information processing Adolescent egocentrism 276

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Piagetian Perspective Fixed sequence of qualitatively different stages Fundamentally different than child thinking Utilized in variety of settings and situations 276

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Piagetian Stages Related to Youth Development Concrete operations 6-11 years Mastery of logic Development of rational thinking Formal operations 11+ years Development of abstract and hypothetical reasoning Development of propositional logic 277

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Developmental of Formal Operations Emergent –Early adolescence –Variable usage depends on conditions surrounding assessment Established –Late adolescence –Consolidated and integrated into general approach to reasoning 277

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Piaget…Pros and Cons Pros Catalyst for much research Accounts for many changes observed during adolescence Helps explain –Developmental differences –Multidimensionality –Metacognition Cons Fails to prove –Stage like fashion of cognition –FO is adolescent cognitive stage Fails to account for variability –Between children –Within child –Within specific situations 278

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Information Processing View Study of cognitive development in component processes Incorporates same techniques to understanding human reasoning that computer scientists employ in writing programs 279

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Changes in Information Processing Gains during adolescence help to explain developmental differences in abstract, multidimensional, and hypothetical thinking 279

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Changes Include five basic areas: Attention Memory Information processing speed Organizational strategies Metacognition 279

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Thinking about Thinking… Metacognition improves during adolescence –Thinks about own thoughts  self- consciousness –Monitors own learning processes more efficiently –Paces own studying 279

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Adolescent Egocentrism Imaginary audience Personal fables Assessment methodology 280

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. How do adolescents connect using technology? s Instant messages (IMs) Web logs (blogs) Websites Chat rooms Cell phones Camcorders 285

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Review and Apply REVIEW Adolescence corresponds to Piaget’s formal operations period, a stage characterized by abstract reasoning and an experimental approach to problems. According to the information processing perspective, the cognitive advances of adolescence are quantitative and gradual, involving improvements in many aspects of thinking and memory. Improved metacognition enables the monitoring of thought processes and of mental capacities. 282

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Review and Apply REVIEW Adolescents are susceptible to adolescent egocentrism and the perception that an imaginary audience is constantly observing their behavior. They also construct personal fables that stress their uniqueness and immunity to harm. 282

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. School Performance

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. True or False? Grades awarded to high school students have shifted upward in the last decade.

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Socioeconomic Status and School Performance Individual Differences in Achievement Children living in poverty lack many advantages Later school success builds heavily on basic skills presumably learned or not learned early in school 283

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Ethnic and Racial Differences in School Achievement Significant achievement differences between ethnic and racial groups –On average, African American and Hispanic students tend to perform at lower levels, receive lower grades, and score lower on standardized tests of achievement than Caucasian students –Asian American students tend to receive higher grades than Caucasian students 283

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. What is the source of such ethnic and racial differences in academic achievement?

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Cyberspace: Adolescents Online 285

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. The Downside of Click Objectionable material available Growing problem of Internet gambling Safety Digital divide 285

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Dropping Out of School Incidence Causes Consequences 285

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Review and Apply REVIEW Academic performance is linked in complex ways to socioeconomic status and to race and ethnicity. Both gender and ethnicity affect the incidence of dropping out. 286

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Review and Apply REVIEW The educational benefits of the Internet are many, but it also introduces adolescents to objectionable material and online gambling. 286

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Review and Apply APPLY What sorts of external factors (i.e. not attributable to the students) might negatively affect the performance of U.S. students on international achievement tests? 286