CHAPTER 2 COGNITIVE TRANSITIONS

We hope the following study questions would guide you in your reading. Remember, if you have any questions or problems understanding any of the points in the chapter, get in touch with Liane.

1. What are the (five) general characteristics of adolescents' thinking which differentiate them from younger children? For each characteristic, give some "real life" examples of what adolescents can do (that a younger child would find difficult) because of these newly-developed abilities.

2. What are the two PROBLEMS IN THINKING that, according to Elkind, are consequences of adolescents' ability for self-introspection? How do these affect the adolescents' behavior?

3. According to Piaget's cognitive-developmental theory, what is the key feature of FORMAL OPERATIONAL THINKING? Once developed, do all adolescents use formal operational reasoning in all tasks and situations? (hint: see box in p.65 about the COMPETENCE-PERFORMANCE distinction).

4. According to the INFORMATION-PROCESSING APPROACH to cognitive development, what changes or develops in the adolescent's cognitive abilities?

5. Compare the Piagetian and information-processing perspectives: How are they different? What are the limitations of each?

6. Are IQ scores STABLE during adolescence? Does an individual's intelligence CHANGE from childhood to adolescence? How are these two questions different?

7. For each advance in SOCIAL COGNITIVE thinking, try to come up with "real life" examples of how these developments would affect the adolescent's behavior and thinking about others (see Table 2.2, p.80).

8. What are the different hypotheses or explanations that have been put forward regarding adolescents' RISK-TAKING BEHAVIOR? Based on the evidence, which explanation is the most plausible?