Piaget’s Theory

• Stage of formal operations– Abstract thinking– Idealism– Hypothetical-deductive reasoning

• Develop and test hypotheses; deduce best ways to solve problems

– Challenges to Piaget’s ideas

How Do Adolescents Think and Process Information?

Adolescent Egocentrism

• Heightened self-consciousness

• Two types of social thinking– Imaginary audience

• Believe others are as interested in them as they are in themselves

– Personal fable• Sense of personal uniqueness and invulnerability

How Do Adolescents Think and Process Information?

Information Processing

• Improvements in

– Memory

– Decision making

– Critical thinking

How Do Adolescents Think and Process Information?

Decision Making

• Increased decision making– Older adolescents better than younger

adolescents at decision making – Adolescent decision making linked to

some personality traits

• Need opportunities to practice and discuss realistic decision making

How Do Adolescents Think and Process Information?

Critical Thinking

• Adolescence is important transitional period with increases in– Speed, automaticity, and capacity of

information processing– Breadth of content knowledge – Ability to construct new combinations of

knowledge– Range and more spontaneous use of

strategies

How Do Adolescents Think and Process Information?

Religious Beliefs and Parenting

• Religion: created to socialize children– Most adults adopt the religion raised in– Affected by quality of parent-adolescent

relationship; securely attached more likely to adopt parents’ choice

• Religious changes and reawakenings most likely during adolescence

Effective Middle Schools

• Lessen impersonal nature; be smaller

• Lower student-to-counselor ratios

• Involve parents and community leaders

• Develop challenging curricula

• Team-teach in flexible curriculum blocks

• More fitness and health programs

What Are Schools for Adolescents Like?

Reducing the Dropout Rate

• Provide effective programs in

– Early reading and tutoring

– Counseling and mentoring

• Create caring environment

• Offer community service opportunities

• Implement early detection

What Are Schools for Adolescents Like?