| Chapter 13 Formal operations more common in early adulthood; tied to education Post-formal thinking: deals with problems that have several or no clear solutions; divergent, creative thinking compared to Piaget's convergent problem solving Perry's theory: cognitive development in college where people are exposed to conflicting views Dualistic thinking: divide information and values into right/wrong, good/bad, we/they; seek absolute truth and knowledge from teachers; attribute conflicting views to confusion of unqualified people Relativistic thinking: understand that things can be seen from different perspectives, even in "hard" sciences; knowledge is always building and changing Commitment to particular view and values Labouvie-Vief's theory: Pragmatic thought: logic becomes tool to solve real-world problems Adapt thinking to specialized social roles or occupation Merge the ideal and the real Schaie's theory: Acquisition period in childhood and adolescence: reach formal operational thinking Achieving period in early adulthood: use knowledge to pursue career, adopt lifestyle, accomplish life goals Responsibility period in middle adulthood: solve problems for others in community, understand dynamic social organizations (executive) Reintegrating period in late adulthood: make sense of life as a whole, explore question of purpose |
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