Cognitive Foundations

Question 1

What is adolescence known for cognitively?

Answer 1

• poor decision making
• risky behaviours
• emotional and irrational thinking

Question 2

Describe the rapid synaptic growth in the adolescent brain.

Answer 2

• rapid increase in synaptic connections
• thickening of connections
• overproduction of connections
• happens primarily in frontal lobes

Question 3

Describe the synaptic pruning in the adolescent brain.

Answer 3

• use it or lose it

- focusing on efficiency

Question 4

What is myelination?

Answer 4

• a blanket of fat wraps around the nerve cell’s axon
• increases the speed of electrical signals
• allows for better executive functioning and inhibitory control
• functioning becomes less flexible

Question 5

Describe the cerebellum growth in the adolescent brain?

Answer 5

• cerebellum = lower part of the brain
• important for certain higher functions (decision making, social skills)
• last structure of the brain to stop growing (in mid-20’s)

Question 6

Describe the basic principles of Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development

Answer 6

• described development based on cognitive stages
• development occurs through maturation
• biology is the driving for behind advancing through the stages

Question 7

Describe the sensorimotor stage of cognitive development.

Answer 7

Age: 0-2
Characteristics: learning to coordinate senses with motor activities

Question 8

Describe the preoperational stage of cognitive development.

Answer 8

Age: 2-7
Characteristics: limited use of mental operations but able to understand symbolic representation (e.g., language)

Question 9

Describe the concrete operations stage of cognitive development.

Answer 9

Age: 7-11
Characteristics: capable of mental operations but only in concrete terms
- difficulty thinking hypothetically

Question 10

Describe the formal operations stage of cognitive development.

Answer 10

Age: 11-15/20
Characteristics: capable of logic and abstract thinking, forming hypotheses and testing them
- thinking is more complex
- can think about thinking (metacognition)

Question 11

I know to gather more information before making decisions. What part of formal operations am I?

Answer 11

Logical and systemic thinking

- hypothetical-deductive reasoning

Question 12

I can use information in new ways (e.g., symbols, ideas, concepts). What part of formal operations am I?

Answer 12

Abstract thinking

Question 13

I can think about thinking. What part of formal operations am I?

Answer 13

Metacognition

Question 14

What are the more complex thinking aspects of formal operations?

Answer 14

• ability to perceive and integrate multiple aspects of a situation
• engage in critical thinking
• understand literal meaning
• understand subtle meanings (e.g., metaphors)
• pick up on meanings in tone and context (e.g., sarcasm)

Question 15

What are the limits to Piaget’s theory?

Answer 15

• ignores individual differences
• ignores environmental influences (education, culture, experience)
• discounts the role of emotions

Question 16

Describe the information processing model of development

Answer 16

• a computer model approach to understanding cognition
• emphasizes attention and memory (storage and retrieval)
• views the brain as a machine
• processing speeds increase

Question 17

What are the limitations of the information processing model of cognitive development.

Answer 17

• reductionism,
• humans can feel things and experience tings subjectively
• does not consider self reflection, awareness or emotions

Question 18

What is the social information processing model of cognitive development?

Answer 18

• cyclical cognitive process

- influenced by past experiences, mood, temperament, emotions

Question 19

Define social cognitions.

Answer 19

How people think about other, social relationships and social institutions

Question 20

What influences social cognitions?

Answer 20

• theory of mind
• perspective taking
• egocentrism
• personal fable (feeling unique)

Question 21

What improvements occur during the development of adolescent thinking?

Answer 21

• ability to analyze and make judgements about information
• can consider several different kinds of knowledge
• utilize metacognition’- consider others’ perspectives
• think critically

Question 22

Describe the ability of decision making in adolescents.

Answer 22

• decision making competence generally increases with age
• poor at anticipating consequences
• leads to risky behaviours

Question 23

Adolescents and emerging adults take more ____ than children or adults.

Answer 23

Risks

Question 24

Why do adolescents and emerging adults take more risks.

Answer 24

• They do not think about the risks and/or perceive them as less risky than they are
• temporal gap

Question 25

What is the temporal gap (risky window)?

Answer 25

- puberty starts at 8 (extreme emotions, reward seeking, feeling grown up) - cognitive development is ongoing (impulse control, emotion regulation, resistance to peer influence, delay of gratification) - in that period of time, there is a "gap" in ability to assess risk while simultaneously craving thrill

Question 26

Describe the brain development in emerging adulthood.

Answer 26

- continued myelination and synaptic pruning - decrease in grey matter (brain cells) - increase in white matter (myelinated axons) - results in greater processing speed, efficiency and fluid intelligence - increased self control, reasoning, planning (prefrontal cortex)

Question 27

What is post-formal thinking and when does it occur?

Answer 27

Involves a greater awareness of the complexity of real-life situations. Occurs in emerging adult.

Question 28

What are the types of post-formal thinking?

Answer 28

- pragmatism - dialectical thought - reflective judgement

Question 29

What is pragmatism?

Answer 29

adapting logical thinking to the practical constraints of real-life situations

Question 30

What is dialectical thought?

Answer 30

Growing awareness that: - not all information is available - most problems don't have a single solution

Question 31

What is reflective judgement?

Answer 31

The capacity to evaluate the accuracy and logical coherence of evidence and arguments - dualistic/multiple thinking - recognize multiple viable options - recognize and consider competing points (relativism) - commitment to a point of view

Question 32

What are the limitations of post-formal thinking?

Answer 32

- ignores environment (focuses only on maturation) | - reflective judgement is more common in individuals with higher education

Question 33

What is invulnerability?

Answer 33

the belief that one is incapable of being wounded, injured or harmed

Question 34

What happens when adolescents and emerging adults feel invincible?

Answer 34

- more risk taking behaviours - delinquency and aggression - have more favourable attitudes towards risk taking - drug use

Question 35

What are the 2 types of invulnerability?

Answer 35

1) danger invulnerability | 2) psychological invulnerability

Question 36

What accounts for risky behaviours in emerging adolescence?

Answer 36

invulnerability and increased opportunity - new independence - normal for that age group - availability (legal age)