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Chapter Focus: Cognitive Development in Adolescence

• Overview of adolescence (ages 11-18)
• Transition from egocentric thinking to abstract logic
• Influencing factors: brain maturation, intense conversations, schooling, moral challenges, and independence

Adolescent Thinking

• Imaginary Audience
• Adolescents think about themselves and how others perceive them
• Leads to feelings of uniqueness and intensifies personal judgment
• Rumination
• Obsessive thinking that hinders further action

Self and Logic

• Fables
• Personal Fable
  • Belief that thoughts and feelings are unique or more intense than others'
• Invincibility Fable
  • Belief in invulnerability to harm from risky behaviors
• Egocentrism Reassessed
• Historically tied to increased risk-taking; now seen as potentially protective
• Psychological resilience linked to feelings of invincibility

Formal Operational Thought

• Piaget's Theory
• Final stage of cognitive development characterized by systematic logic and abstract thinking
• Examples of cognitive transition from primary to high school

Hypothetical Thought and Reasoning

• Types of Reasoning
• Hypothetical Thought
  • Reasoning with possibilities, may not reflect reality
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Top-down logic from general to specific
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Bottom-up logic from specific instances to general conclusions
  • Adolescent reasoning often relies on intuitive thinking due to cognitive flexibility

Dual Process Thinking

• Intuitive vs. Analytic Thought
• Intuitive Thought: Emotion-based, influenced by past experiences
• Analytic Thought: Logic-based, involves systematic evaluation
• Adolescents may favor emotions in decision-making due to egocentrism

Brain Development and Impulse Control

• Cortical Development
• Prefrontal cortex maturation occurs slower than limbic system activation
• Adolescent brains show less caution and higher sensation-seeking behaviors

Secondary Education

• Defined as education after primary school, ages 12-18
• Focus on students mastering formal thinking skills without explicit teaching

Continuation and Dropout Risks

• Disengagement leads to status dropouts
• Stereotype Threat: Perception of racial bias affecting behavior and performance in learning environments

Growth Mindset

• Abstract and analytical skills development in adolescents lead to improved responses to educational challenges
• Contrast between Growth Mindset (seeking challenges) and Fixed Mindset (social comparison) affects learning and performance.