Chapter Eighteen
PowerPoints prepared by Cathie Robertson, Grossmont College
Revised by Jenni Fauchier, Metropolitan Community College

• Postformal picks up where Piaget left off
• Psychometric analyzes components of intelligence (see Ch. 21)
• Information-processing studies the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information during lifetime (see Ch.
24)

• Adult thinking and adolescent thinking differ in 3 ways, with adult thinking more:
– practical
– flexible
– dialectical

• Postformal thought often viewed as fifth stage of Piaget’s theory
• In it, adults consider every aspect of a situation
– use intellectual skills for real life—work and relationships
– understand that conclusions and consequences matter

• During adulthood focus on skill application, not skill acquisition

• Arise from individual’s personal experiences and perceptions
• Traditional models devalued subjective thought
• Objective thought—abstract impersonal logic
• For adults combination of the two works best

• Trying to combine both logic and emotions in dealing with an emotional issue is challenging
– but at each stage of adulthood, adults can achieve this balance in contrast to adolescents who believe in subjective or objective reasoning

• Awareness that your perspective is not the only one
• Awareness that each problem has many potential solutions and knowledge is dynamic

• Adult thought requires flexible adaptation, which allows adults to
– cope with unanticipated events
– come up with more than one solution to problem

• The possibility that one’s appearance or behavior will be misused to confirm another person’s oversimplified, prejudiced attitude. For example,
• 3 ways young minority people cope with prejudice
– identification, or identifying with their own group
– disidentification, or deliberately refusing to identify with their own group
– counteridentification, or identifying with majority and believing stereotype to be accurate

• Cognitive flexibility at its most advanced
• Every idea or truth(thesis) bears within it suggestion of the opposite idea or truth(antithesis)

• Dialectical thinking involves considering the thesis and antithesis of an idea simultaneously and forging them into a synthesis—a new idea that integrates the original idea and its opposite, or the thesis and its antithesis
• Dialectical thought gives one a broader and more flexible perspective

• There are notable differences between Eastern and Western thought
– more polar; right vs. wrong; black vs. white—Western thought
– more of a combination or compromise—Eastern thought

Culture and Cognition, cont.
• Developmentalists feel culture helps to shape thought
– Life-span perspective is multicontexual and multicultural, stressing adults change because of
• maturation
• experience

• Ethical issues often present themselves
• Taking responsibility for one’s own actions perceived by young adults of all ethnic groups as marker of adulthood

• Life Choices
– parenthood
– life events
• New and different qualities of moral reasoning appear
• Gilligan took into consideration that life experiences contribute to a broader understanding of moral reasoning

• Every young adult must make choices about
– sexuality
– reproduction
– marriage and child rearing
– issues caused by increasing globalization and immigration
• Dilemmas also arise from popular culture
– television
– The Internet
– popular music

• Defining Issues Test
– developed by James Rest
– respondents rank their priorities, from personal benefits to higher goals; this in contrast to Kohlberg’s open-ended questions
– ranking items leads to number score
– scores generally rise with age and education which make people less rigid and more flexible

Measuring Moral Growth, cont.
• The development of faith follows a similar path
– stage 1: Intuitive-projective faith
• believes in power of God and the mysteries of birth and death (3 -7)
– stage 2: Mythical-literal faith
• takes myths and stories of religion literally and believes in the power of symbols (8-13 and adulthood); prayers are “banked” for the future

• Development of faith, cont.
– stage 3: Synthetic-conventional faith
• has tacit acceptance of cultural/religious values in the context of interpersonal relationships
• conformist stage of faith characterized by concern about others and what feels right

• Development of faith, cont.
– stage 4: Individual-reflective faith
• detaches from values of culture and approval of others
• can be brought on by college or major life change such as divorce, etc.

• Development of faith, cont.
– stage 5: Conjunctive faith
• incorporates power of unconscious ideas and rational conscious values
• willingness to accept contradictions

• Development of faith, cont.
– stage 6: Universalizing faith
• powerful vision of universal compassion, justice and love that compels people to live their lives in a way that seems saintly or foolish
• personal welfare is put aside; a transforming experience can convert an adult to this stage

• The relationship between college education and adult development
– healthier, wealthier, as well as deeper, more flexible thinkers

• Education powerfully influences cognitive development
– improves verbal and quantitative skills, and specific subject knowledge while enhancing reasoning, reflection, and flexibility of thought

The Effects of College, cont.
• Educational influences, cont.
– year-by-year progression of students’ thinking
– end of college finds students have generally moved from simplistic either/or ideas to recognition of multiplicity of perspectives

• Other Factors To Consider
– Change in Students
– Change in Institutions

• The sheer numbers have increased greatly, worldwide
• In all nations, increased student diversity
– more women students
– more older students
– more culturally diverse students in United
States
– more low-income students
– more working students

• Structure of higher education changing with student population changes
• Almost twice as many U.S. institutions of higher learning today than in 1970
– community college enrollment up 144 percent
– more career programs
– more part-time faculty
– more women and minority instructors

• Factors that may prevent college education from being as powerful a force in producing cognitive growth as it could be
– cohort effects
– selection effects
– dropout rates

Evaluating the Research, cont.
• The weight of evidence suggests that college
– advances income
– promotes health
– deepens thinking
– increases tolerance of different political, social, and religious views