SSYM5223

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF ADOLESCENTS AND ADULTS

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TOPIC:

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT IN
ADOLESCENCE AND ADULTHOOD

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 Jean Piaget (1958) suggested that during adolescence, human
cognitive development enters the formal operational stage (after
12 years of age)
 Able to think in logical fashion and understand concepts that are
abstract in nature
 Cognitive ability beyond merely concrete thinking (hypothetical
thinking)
 Learning complex language (for conversation), mathematical
concepts and mental tasks using complex thought processes
 Children at the age of seven years (preadolescence) usually can
only solve problems that apply to concrete events --- concrete
operational stage

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 Human perceives external stimulus which transfromed into life experience
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as scheme form

 Scheme = mental concept or cognitive framework that uses to organize

and interpret information (Santrock, 2007) --- mental representation
 For instance; earliest human scheme is the action of sucking reflex

 The association of previous scheme with new scheme obtained from

experiences and learning is called assimilation process
 Accomodation = occurs when new information or experiences cause to
modify existing schemes

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Egocentrism Symbolic thought

 Child’s inability to comprehend a situation from another person’s

point of view. The child assumes that other people also see, hear
and feel exactly the same as the child does

 Symbolic thought = ability to visualize shape and function in

which transformed into a physical form. This development
enhances the ability to read, write and draw --- less egocentrism

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Cognitive Development during Adolescence z
Belief that others are interested in them
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 Divided into two (2) social thoughts:

 Adolescence also faced cognitive changes in terms of egocentrism
1) Imaginary audience – ‘attention-seeking’ behaviour
(adolescence egocentrism) during formal operational stage (Elkind,
1967) 2) Personal fable – the feeling of uniqueness and ‘existence’ on others
observation
 Different egocentrism characteristics from pre-operational stage
 Egocentrism may lift up self awareness on teenager (positive side)
 Adaptation of perceptions about the world, self-centred for attention,
behaviour and attitude  Example: healthy diet, cautious about personal hygiene etc

 Their problems/issues are unique, and no one can understand them,  Egocentrism may also result in recklessness behaviour on teenage
others are criticizing their behaviours --- adolescence egocentrism (negative side)
 Example: substance abuse, suicide attempts, unprotected sex etc

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 In school, teenagers are required Cognitive Development during Adulthood
to use and apply formal operational
stage thought process (i.e. course
/subjects)
 Post-formal thought = patterns of thinking is different from formal
 The needs to fulfil moral operational stage --- fifth stage to some psychologists
obligations such as parents’
expectations, teachers, siblings,  Develop during adulthood (Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel’, 1931)
peers and so on  Formal-operational thinking is absolute and involves making
 Lead to stressful situations and decisions based on personal experience and logic
they tend to choose escapism
 Post-formal thinking is more complex and involves making
coping mechanism/strategy to
resolve their problems decisions based on situational constraints and circumstances and
integrating emotion with logic to form context-dependent principles
 May develop inferiority complex as
well as depression symptoms ---
social issues

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 Three (3) features of post-formal thinking (Kramer, 1983):
1) The realization of the relativistic, non-absolute nature of
knowledge
2) An acceptance of contradiction
3) Integration of contradiction into an overriding whole
4) Two forms of thinking include relativistic and dialectical:
- Relativistic thinking = Understanding that knowledge depends
upon its context and the subjective perspective of the knower
- Dialectical thinking = Detecting paradoxes and inconsistencies
among ides and trying to reconcile them

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Cognitive Maturity of Middle and Late Adulthood Cognitive Measurement - Intelligence tests
 Mental Measurement Yearbook (MMY) to measure general knowledge, aptitudes
 Research showed that intellectual capabilities can be enhanced, or cognitive abilities such as critical analytical thinking, abstract, logical thinking etc
deteriorated, or maintained during middle adulthood
 Name of psychological instruments:
 Cognitive enhancement via travelling, partner up with people
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)
who are ‘bright’, solving mental games and many more
Primary Mental Abilities Test (PMA)
 Individual’s cognitive may deteriorate when less external
stimulation or mental stimulus from the surrounding Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test

 Cognitive impairment – trouble in remembering, concentrating, Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale [Link]

learning new things and making decision in their daily life General Ability Measure for Adults[Link]

Scholastic Abilities Test for Adults [Link]

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Cognitive related problems

 Cognitive impairment --- MCI (Mild Cognitive Impairment)

 Cognitive disability --- Down Syndrome, Dementia, Dyslexia

 Cognitive disorders --- NCD (Neurocognitive Disorder)