Child Development. Feldman. Ch 15

Adolescent Intellectual development

-ability to think beyond concrete, current situation to what might or could be
-ability to cognitively manage variety of abstract possibilities
-ability to see issues in relative, as opposed to absolute, terms

Formal operational stage

The stage at which people develop the ability to think abstractly. 15 according to Piaget. Cultural differences less likely to perform at formal operational stage. Some never get there

hypotheticaldeductive reasoning

one starts with a general theory and then deduce explanations for situations in which they see they particular outcome

propositional thought

reasoning that uses abstract logic in the absences of concerte examples All a's are B, C is an a, therefore c is a B

Piaget

-People reach formal operational stage at start of adolescence, around the age of 12
-it is not until around 15 years old that they are fully settled in the formal operational stage
-Adolescents now use hypotheticodeductive reasoning and employ propositional thought

Formal operations facilities

-change in everyday behavior
-ability to reason abstractly
-more argumentative behavior
--Coping with the increased critical abilities of adolescents can be challenging
-indecisive as they can see multiple sides to an argument

informational processing approaches

the perspective that seeks to identify the way that an individual take in, use and store information

adolescent intelligence

dramatic improvements in verbal, mathematical and spatial abilities. memory capacity grows and they can divide their attention. Abstract concepts, comprehension and knowledge about the world.

Metacognition

Knowledge that people have about their own thinking processes and their ability to monitor their cognition. how long they need to study

Two hallmarks of adolescents

introspective and self conscious

Ego-centrism

-absorption in which the world is viewed from one's own point of view. This makes them highly critical of authority figures. Feelings of invulnerability

Imaginary Audience

-fictitious observers who pay as much attention to adolescents behavior as they do themselves

Personal Fables

Secondary distortion. the view held by some adolescents that what happens to them is unique, exceptional, and shared by no one else

Kohlberg approach to moral development

three levels, six substages. People move through stages in a fixed order and they cant reach highest stage until adolescents. post conventional reasoning is rare. based on Western cultures. Cross cultural research shows development through stages more rapidly

Moral Development

Moral dilemmas reveal the stage of moral development they have attained and yield information about their general level of cognitive development

Pre-conventional morality

At this level, the concrete interests of the individual are considered in terms of rewards and punishments
Stage 1: Obedience and punishment orientation: behavior is judged good if it serves to avoid punishment
Stage 2: Instrumental purpose orientation: behavior is judged good when it serves personal needs or interests

Conventional Morality

At his level, people approach moral problems as members of society. They are interested in pleasing others by acting as good members of society
Stage 3: "good boy - nice girl" orientation: conforming with rules to impress others
Stage 4: Authority or law-and-order orientation: obeying rules and laws because they are needed to maintain social order

Post-conventional Morality

at this level, people use moral principles, which are seen as broader than those of any particular society
Stage 5: Social contract orientation: viewing rules and laws as based on mutual agreement in the service of the common good
Stage 6: Universal ethical principle orientation: adopting an internal moral code based on universal values that takes precedence over social rules and laws. 15% of students cheated at this level, less likely to cheat at lower levels.

Differences between boys and girls moral development?

Boys - justice or fairness
girls - responsibility towards individuals and sacrfice

Gilligan view of girl moral development

3 stage process.
Orientation to individual survival
Goodness as self sacrifice
Morality of nonviolence

Middle and High-SES students

Socioeconomic Status
-earn higher grades
-score higher on standardized tests of achievement
-complete more years of schooling than do students from lower SES homes

Ethnic and Racial differences in school achievment

-significant differences in racial groups
-differences paint troubling picture of american education
-economic disadvantage may be reflected in school performance of African Americans and Hispanics
-minority group members may conclude that hard work in school will have no eventual payoff

Who goes to college?

2/3 of all high school students go to college.
More females than males
US college students are primarily white and middle class
-the proportion of students who enter college but never graduate is substantial. 39%
-the number of students traditionally classified as 'minorities' attending college is rising dramatically

Advantages of working in high school

funds for activities.
learn responsibility
practice with money
work place skills
understand the nature of work in specific employment settings

Drawbacks to working in high school

high drudgery and low transferable skills
prevent extra curricular activities
School performance drops relative to how many hours student works

Primary orientation model

Students that work greater hours are more psychologically invested in their work than in high school, therefore their motivation to do well in high school is lower

Pseudomaturity

Unusually early entry into adult roles before an adolescent is ready to assume them

academic disidentification

a lack of personal identification with an academic domain. For women it is in math and science, wherein groups underperform.

Stereotype threat

member of a group fear that their behavior will indeed confirm a stereotype. Women succeeding a math or science fields.

Fantasy Period

According to Ginzberg, the period of life when career choices are made - and discarded - without regard to skills, abilities, or available job opportunities. Till 11 years old

Tentative Period

the second stage of Ginzberg's theory, spanning adolescence, in which people begin to think in pragmatic terms about the requirements of various jobs and how their own abilities might fit with those requirement

Realistic period

the stage in late adolescence and early adulthood during which people explore career options through job experience or training, narrow their choices, and eventually make a commitment to a career

Hollands six personality types

Realistic
Intellectual
Social
Conventional
Enterprising
Artistic

Communial professions

occupations associated with relationship

Agentic professions

associated with getting things accomplished