18 - Emerging Adulthood:
Cognitive Development
Ages 18 - 25
Postformal Thought
Outgrowth of Piaget’s 4th. Stage of “Formal
Operations”
O Problem finding
O Not just problem solving
O Anticipating problems & dealing with them
O More open to ideas
less concerned with absolutes of right & wrong
Thinking of multiple choices or perceptions
Delay discounting
O Discounting the effects of delaying
O Favoring immediate gratification over future
consequences
O E.g. going to the beach instead of studying for
final
O Sex & pregnancy
O Spending now over saving
Subjective & objective thought
O Postformal thought combines subjective and
objective thinking
O Combines emotion with logic
O Subjective thought
O Based on personal qualities
O Experiences, culture, goals
O Objective thought
O Not based on personal qualities
O Thinking based on facts and numbers
Countering stereotypes
O Needs cognitive flexibility to counter
previously ingrained stereotypes and
assumptions
O Stereotype threat
O Possibility of being negatively stereotyped
creates anxiety and interferes with cognition
(thinking) and emotional regulation (feelings).
Cognitive flexibility
O Realizing there are many perspectives &
opinions on any topic
O Each problem has many possible solutions
O Helps people deal with unforeseen events to
develop a “Plan B”.
Dialectical thought
O Thesis - Idea
O Antithesis – Opposite idea
O Synthesis - Combination
O Not a compromise
O Synthesis can become new thesis
O Process continues
O Being able to see the pros & cons,
advantages & disadvantages
Morality and religion
O Maturing values, moral reasoning, and
religion develops
O Culture determines morality
O Gender differences
O Females – Reluctant to judge right and wrong
as absolutes
O Males – Do tend to judge right and wrong as
absolutes
O Emphasize justice over compassion
Cognitive Growth and Higher
Education
Effects of college
O Secure vocational and financial future
O Correlates with better health & longer life
O Improves:
O Verbal and quantitative (math) abilities
O Professional knowledge
O Reasoning skills
O More females than males in college
O More business and professions (Law and
Medicine) than liberal arts
Changes in college institutions
O U.S. has twice as many colleges as 50 years
O
O
O
O
ago
More career programs
More part time faculty
Income = most important reason for college
Stronger correlation between college
education and income because of loss of
unskilled jobs
O No education = no job