Chpt. 18: Emerging Adulthood Cognitive Development

Chpt. 18: Emerging Adulthood Cognitive Development

1. PostFormal Thought

   • Thinking is now more practical, flexible and DIALECTICAL (considerate of opposing ideas) this makes up 'new' stage of cog development namely combining a new 'ordering of formal operations with necessary subjectivty this new process is called Postformal thought
     • Time management tends to be better in this phase
       • Delay discounting: the tendency of people to undervalue or ignore future consequeces are rewards in favor of immediate gratification
         • Combining Subjective and Objective thought
           • Subjective thought: thinking influenced by person
             • Objective thought: thinking based on facts
           • emerging adults combine the two thinking from personal experiences and what will factually happen
             • Cognitive flexibility is continuing on a set path regardless of changing circumstances
               • Dialectical thought is postformal thought at its best characterized by the ability to consider a thesis and antithesis simultaneously and arrive at a synthesis or idea, it's opposite, and come to a new idea or compromise
     • Brain (prefrontal cortex) isn't finished developing til early 20s this plays a role

2. Morals and Religon

   • reiigious convictions become stronger however visits to church etc. less frequent
     • culture effects religon... moral thinking improves with age
     • girls are raised to develop a the morality of car and boys are to see the morality of justice according to gilligan
       • defining issues test is a test made by james rest to measure moral development
     • James Fowler developed 6 stages of faith
       • Stage 1: intutive-projective faith faith is magical illogical imaginative 3-7 years old
         • Stage 2: Mythic-literal faith:myths and stories taken literally 7-11 years old
           • Stage 3: Synthetic-convential faith conforming to what others expect
             • Stage 4: Individual-reflective faith detaching from others expectations
               • Stage 5: Conjunctive Faith: faith with POWERFUL emotional ideas and rational conclusions
                 • Stage 6: Universalizing faith universal compassion, justice, and love that compels life

3. Cognitive Growth and Higher Education

   • Wealthier happier healthier people and deeper more flexible thinkers (college kids)
     • Money (better job) main priority
     • More people can go than ever before it has led to massification- college benefits everyone