Ages 11 to 18
Adolescent egocentrism
Belief that they are more socially significant than they actually are
Focusing on themselves more than others
Personal fable - “I am unique”
“My thoughts & feelings have not happened to anyone else”
Difficult to see another person’s perspective
Invincibility fable - “I will not be hurt”
Smoking, drugs, STD’s, high-speed driving
Does not apply to all adolescents
Imaginary audience - “Everyone is watching me”
Makes teenagers self-conscious
Fourth and final stage
Use abstract ideas
Hypothetical thought
▪ Thinking of possibilities, not just reality
▪ If-then propositions
E.g. Balance experiment
A 14 year old will understand that both weight and distance from the center must be considered when balancing a scale
Deductive – Top down
General to specific
Inductive – Bottom-up
Specific to general
Both are used in research
Dual-process model of the brain
One network = emotional
One network = analytical
Intuitive thought (Intuition)
From an emotion or hunch beyond rational explanation
Based on past experiences and cultural assumptions
Analytic thought
Depends of logic & rationality
Analysis of pros & cons, risks & consequences
Possibilities & facts
Sunk cost fallacy
“I have invested so much, I must keep going”
Know when to cut your losses
Base rate neglect fallacy
Ignoring the overall frequency or probability of an effect from a behavior
E.g. Smoking, not wearing a helmet
Lottery tickets & gambling
Broadens students’ horizons
New education & experiences
Gets them past the egocentric thought
Reduces social isolation
Internet addiction
Gambling or video games
▪ Escape from problems
Cyberbullying
Spreading insults and rumors
Negative specialties
Cutting, extreme dieting, prejudice
Negatives result more from the antisocial attitudes and/or depression of the person, not the technology
Sexting, Facebook pages, etc