Cognitive development in adolescents

This power point was created for a Developmental Psychology report.

1. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT IN ADOLESCENTS Reporter: sungA

2. Moral reasoning: Kohlberg’s theory They become capable of more complex reasoning about moral issues Hein’z dillema Used in Lawrence Kohlberg’s stages of moral development, is stated as follows: A woman was near in death. There was one drug that the doctors thought might save her.

3. Kohlberg’s levels and stages Level 1: Preconventional Morality- People act under external controls. They obey rules to avoid punishment or reap rewards, or they act out of self interest. (Ages 4-10) Level II: Conventional Morality (or Morality of Conventional role conformity)- People have internalized the standards of authority figures. They are concerned about being ‘good’, pleasing others and maintaining social order. (Typically after reached the age 10) Level III: Postconventional Morality (or Morality of autonomous moral principle). People recognize conflicts between Moral standards and making their own judgment on the basis of principles of right, fairness, and justice.

4. Influence of Parents, Peers, and culture An Ethic of Care: Gilligan’s Theory Carol Gilligan (1982/1193) asserted that Kohlberg’s Theory is oriented toward values more important to men than to women.

5. EDUCATIONAL AND VOCATIONAL ISSUES

6. Influences on school achievement Factors that influence the course of school achievement: 1.) Parenting Practices 2.) Socio economic Status (SES) 3.) Home Environment Other Factors: 1.) Gender 2.) Ethnicity 3.) Peer Influence 4.) Quality of schooling 5.) Students’ belief in themselves

7. Student motivation and self-efficacy Intrinsic Motivation- students desire to learn for the sake of learning. Future-Oriented Cognition- (hopes and dreams about future job) related to greater achievement, but this effect seems to be explained by participation in extracurricular activities. Self-Efficacy- who believe that they can master task and regulate their own learning-are likely to do well in school.

8. Gender In adolescence, girls do better on verbal tasks that involve writing and language usage; boys do better in activities that involve visual and spatial functions helpful in math and science. Despite theories that boys possess innate ability to do better in Mathematics, an evaluation of SAT results and math scores from 7 million students found no gender differences in Math performance. Girl’s Brain: Have more Gray Matter and larger Corpus Callosum, Neurons have more connections. Boy’s Brain: Have more connective white matter

9. Social and cultural forces that influence gender differences include the following: Home Influence School Influence Neighborhood Influence Women and Men’s Role Cultural Influences

10. Parenting Style 1.) Authoritative Parents 2.) Authoritarian Parents 3.) Permissive Parents Ses and related family characteristics Parent’s educational level and family income indirectly affect educational attainment based on how they influence parenting style, sibling relationship, and adolescent academic engagement.

11. School the quality of schooling strongly influence student achievement

12. Dropping out of highschool (reasons) Ineffective schooling Irrelevance of the curriculum PREPARING FOR HIGHER EDUCATION OR VOCATIONS Influences On Students’ Aspiration Self Efficacy help shape the occupational option of students Gender Stereotyping still influences vocational choices