Cognitive DevelopmentIntelligence: What Matters in Early Adulthood?College: Pursuing Higher Education

Cognitive Development

Intellectual Growth in Early Adulthood Physical development slows down during early adulthood, but does cognitive? What did Piaget propose?

Postformal Thought Giesela Labouvie-Vief Adult predicaments are sometimes solved by relativistic thinking rather than pure logic Postformal thought acknowledges that world sometimes lacks purely right and wrong solutions so adults must draw upon prior experiences to solve problems The nature of thought changes qualitatively during early adulthood.

Postformal Thinking William Perry Developmental growth of early adulthood involves mastering new ways of understanding the world Knowledge and values are regarded as relativistic Different societies, cultures, and individuals could have different standards and values

Stages of Development Schaie Focuses on the ways in which information is used during adulthood, rather than on changes in the acquisition and understanding of new information Acquisitive stage Achieving stage Responsible stage Executive stage Reintegrative stage

How Information Is Used: Schaie’s Stages

Cognitive development continues into young adulthood with the emergence of postformal thought, which goes beyond logic to encompass interpretive and subjective thinking. Postformal thought acknowledges that adult predicaments must sometimes be solved in relativistic terms, rather than being based on purely logical processes with absolute right or wrong answers.Perry suggests that people move from dualistic thinking to relativistic thought during early adulthood.

According to Schaie, people pass through five stages in the way they use information: acquisitive, achieving, responsible, executive, and reintegrative.

The idea that problem solving in adulthood has to consider previous experiences, logical thinking, and the relative benefits and costs to a decision is also known as ____________. a. formal operational thought b. concrete operational thought c. postformal thought d. dualistic thinking

Postformal thought and dialectical thinking acknowledge that the world sometimes lacks clearly right and wrong solutions to problems. True False

Can you think of situations that you would deal with differently as an adult than as an adolescent? Do the differences reflect postformal thinking?

Intelligence: What Matters in Early Adulthood? Sternberg: Tiarchic theory of intelligence –Intelligence is made up of three major components Componential Experiential Contextual

Sternberg: Practical and Emotional Intelligence Traditional IQ scores relate well to academic success Career success requires practical intelligence learned primarily by observing others and modeling their behavior Emotional intelligence is the set of skills that underlies the accurate assessment, evaluation, expression, and regulation of emotions.

Stop and Consider Do you think educators can teach people to be more intelligent? Are there components or varieties of intelligence that might be more “teachable” than others? If so, which: componential, experiential, contextual, practical, or emotional?

Expanding on Sternberg’s Theory Psychologist Seymour Epstein –Constructive thinking Form of practical intelligence Underlies success in such areas as social relationships and physical and emotional health

Creativity and Age The period of maximum creativity differs depending on the particular field. The percentages refer to the percent of total lifetime major works produced during the particular age period. Why do poets peak earlier than novelists?

Life Events and Cognitive Development Major life events may lead to cognitive growth –Think about the world in novel, more complex, sophisticated, and often less rigid ways –Apply postformal thought to see and grasp trends and patterns, personalities, and choices

New views of intelligence encompass the triarchic theory, practical intelligence, and emotional intelligence. Creativity seems to peak during early adulthood, with young adults viewing even longstanding problems as novel situations. Major life events contribute to cognitive growth by providing opportunities and incentives to rethink one’s self and one’s world.

Sternberg’s ______________ theory of intelligence suggests that intelligence is made up of three major components.

According to psychologist Sarnoff Mednick (1963), creativity is at its highest in young adulthood because as we get older and more familiar with our areas of study (or occupations), creativity may be stunted. True False

Major life events can influence our cognitive development because positive and negative life circumstances lead us to think differently about our relationships with others, what’s important to us, or our place in the world. True False

What does “familiarity breeds rigidity” mean? Can you think of examples of this phenomenon from your own experience?

College: Pursuing Higher Education

Higher Education College is period of developmental growth that encompasses mastery not just of particular bodies of knowledge, but of ways of understanding world.

The Demographics of Higher Education U.S. college students are primarily white and middle class Nearly 69 percent of white high school graduates enter college 61 percent of African American graduates 47 percent of Hispanic graduates

College Enrollment by Racial Group The proportion of non-whites who attend college has increased in the last few decades. Source: The Condition of Education 2004; National Center for Education Statistics, 2004.

Who goes to college? Age 26 percent of college students today are between 25 and 35 years of age or older Maturation reform Ethnicity Absolute number of minority students enrolled in college has increased Overall proportion of minority population has decreased over past decade

Something to Consider… How is the presence of older students likely to affect the college classroom, given what you know about human development? Why?

Why is there a gender gap in college attendance? Will it continue? Men have more opportunities to earn money when they graduate More women enrolled in college

The Changing College Student: Never Too Late to Go to College? According to Sherry Willis, adults return to college for several reasons –To understand their own aging –To keep up with rapid technological and cultural advances –To combat obsolescence on the job –To acquire new vocational skills –To broaden their intellectual skills The number of older students, starting or returning to college, continues to grow.

College Adjustment: Reacting to the Demands of College Life First year adjustment reaction –Particularly affects unusually successful students in high school –Passes for most as friends are made and integration into college life occurs –Serious psychological consequences for few Counseling, as well as increasing familiarity with ampus life, can help a student adjust.

Why do differences exist in gender distribution in classes and attrition rates?

Gender and College Performance Prejudice and discrimination –Hostile sexism –Benevolent sexist Differences exist in gender distribution in classes and attrition rates Both male and female college professors may unintentionally favor their male students over their female students

When Do College Students Need Professional Help with Their Problems? Psychological distress that lingers and interferes with a person’s sense of well-being and ability to function Feelings that one is unable to cope effectively with the stress Hopeless or depressed feelings Inability to build close relationships with others Physical symptoms

Stereotype Threat and Disidentification With School African Americans don’t do well in academic pursuits. Women lack ability in math and science.

Rates of college enrollment differ across racial and ethnic lines. The average age of college students is steadily increasing as more adults return to college.

The phenomena of academic disidentification and stereotype threat help explain the lower performance of women and African Americans in certain academic domains. First-year students may experience first-year adjustment reaction, characterized by a cluster of psychological symptoms, including loneliness, anxiety, and depression.

First-generation college students may lack a clear understanding of the demands of college and may be less well-prepared for the work. In addition to drinking and drug use, gambling—another addictive behavior—has become a threat to students’ well-being.

Although attending college is an important event in one’s life, the number of individuals who begin college ______________. a. are in the majority b. has been decreasing c. are in the minority d. is the same as the number of people not entering college

More women than men attend and graduate from college, and the proportion of women, relative to men, is increasing. True False

Jared is having difficulty in his first year of college. Psychological symptoms include loneliness, anxiety, withdrawal, and depression. It appears hat Jared is suffering from a cluster of symptoms called _________. a. first-year adjustment reaction b. classical conditioning c. high anxiety d. social referencing

Failing to identify oneself as successful in a certain academic domain such as math and science for women and academics in general for African Americans is known as ________. a. stereotype threat b. academic disidentification c. inadequate self-concept d. somatic symptom illness

How would you educate college professors who behave differently toward male and female students? What factors contribute to this phenomenon? Can this situation be changed?