Cognitive Development in Adolescence

What Piagetian tasks are used to test for formal operational thought? Know what they are testing for in these tests and how that reflects formal-operational thinking 

1. These different tests are testing for hypothetical deductive reasoning 

   1. Piaget’s pendulum problem

      1. Measures Hypothetico-Deductive reasoning, a skill Piaget thought children in adolescence develop 

         1. Suppose we present several school-age children and adolescents with strings of different lengths, objects of different weights to attach to the strings, and a bar from which to hang the strings (see Figure 15.1). 

         2. Then we ask each of them to figure out what influences the speed with which a pendulum swings through its arc.

         3. Formal operational adolescents hypothesize that four variables might be influential: 

            1. (1) the length of the string

            2. (2) the weight of the object hung on it

            3. (3) how high the object is raised before it is released

            4. (4) how forcefully the object is pushed. 

         4. By varying one factor at a time while holding the other three constant, they test each variable separately and, if necessary, also in combination. 

         5. Eventually they discover that only string length makes a difference.

         6. In contrast, concrete operational children cannot separate the effects of each variable. 

         7. They may test for the effect of string length without holding weight constant—comparing, for example, a short, light pendulum with a long, heavy one. Also, they typically fail to notice variables that are not immediately suggested by the concrete materials of the task—for example, how high the object is raised or how forcefully it is released.

   2. The Balance Scale Problem

      1. Measures compensatory and multi-variable reasoning, a skill Piaget believed develops in the formal operational stage.

      2. Children are shown a balance beam with weights placed at different distances from the fulcrum and asked to predict which side will tip.

      3. To solve the problem correctly, the child must consider two variables:

         1. the amount of weight on each side

         2. the distance of each weight from the center

      4. Formal operational adolescents understand that the outcome depends on the combined effect of both variables (weight × distance). They use systematic, abstract reasoning to determine which side has greater torque.

      5. In contrast, concrete operational children typically focus on only one dimension at a time—often weight alone. They do not coordinate the variables, and they fail to understand that one factor can compensate for another (for example, a lighter weight placed farther out may outweigh a heavier weight placed near the fulcrum).

Does everyone reach formal operational thought? Why or why not?

1. Even well-educated adults may fail hypothetical-deductive tasks

2. Guidance and practice crucial in reaching formal operational thought

   1. Taught in school

   2. College classes increase formal reasoning

What are some consequences of adolescent cognitive changes?

1. Idealism and criticism: thinking about the world in abstract ways in with different possibilities

2. Poor planning and decision making

   1. In response to a hypothetical dilemma: Would you have cosmetic surgery?

      1. Teenager’s response relied on intuitive judgements, peers, informal opinions

         1. Far more likely than adults to choose short-term over long-term goals

3. Risky behavior

   1. Still need supervision until decision making improves

What is adolescent egocentrism?

1. Self-consciousness and self-focusing sensitivity to public criticism

   1. Tendency to focus on oneself

Define: personal fable, invincibility fable, imaginary audience.

1. Personal fable: Certain that others are observing and thinking about them, teenagers develop an inflated opinion of their own importance, feeling that they are special and unique.

2. Invincibility fable: adolescents believe they are immune to harm, which can lead them to engage in risky behaviors because they feel that dangerous outcomes, such as accidents or getting caught, will happen to others but not to them

3. Imaginary audience: Adolescents’ belief that they are the focus of everyone else’s attention and concern

   1. May serve positive, protective functions as outside perspectives can have important real consequences in regards to self-esteem, peer acceptance, and social support

Are there gender differences in mental abilities & achievement? Why?

1. Boys and girls do not differ in general intelligence

2. Language and literacy

   1. Girls:

      1. Higher scores in verbal ability, reading, and writing

      2. Advantage increases over adolescence

   2. Why?

      1. Benefit from biology and experience

   3. Widening gender gap in college enrollment

      1. Today, makes account for only 42% of US undergraduates

3. Math and science

   1. Boys

      1. Early advantage (but differences inconsistent)

      2. Adolescence, outperform on abstract and spatial math skills, complex science problems

   2. Why

      1. Hereditary

      2. Social pressures and parental attitudes

   3. But gap is small, shrinking over last 30 years

      1. Encourage girls’ interest and confidence in stem ability