Chapter Introduction
CHAPTER 15
Adolescence: Cognitive Development
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What Will You Know?
Why are young adolescents often egocentric? Adolescent egocentrism causes adolescents to think intensely about themselves and what others think of them. This is in part because maturation of the brain heightens self–consciousness. Egocentrism creates the imaginary audience, in which the adolescent is at center stage, with all eyes on him or her.
Why does emotion sometimes overwhelm reason? Because adolescents focus on their own perspectives, oblivious to other viewpoints, their emotions may not be grounded in reality. Adolescents tend to think quickly, because their reaction time is shorter than at any other time of life. That typically makes them “fast and furious” intuitive thinkers who react according to “what feels right,” unlike their teachers and parents who prefer slower, more analytic thinking. Moreover, rational judgment is difficult when egocentrism dominates, and when the social demands outweigh the intellectual ones.
Is cyberbullying worse than bullying directly? Technology does not create bullies; it gives them another means to act and a larger audience, which multiplies the harm. Texted and posted rumors and insults can “go viral,” reaching thousands, transmitted day and night. The imaginary audience magnifies the shame. Not only words but also photos and videos can be easily sent: Some adolescents take video of others drunk, naked, or crying and send that to dozens of others, who may send it to yet others, who may post it on YouTube or Vine. Cyberbullying may be worst when the victim believes in the imaginary audience, when the identity is forming, when sexual impulses are new, and when impulsive thoughts precede analytic ones—all of which are characteristic of many young adolescents.
What kind of school is best for teenagers? There are numerous variations in school structures for teenagers. Given all of these variations, there is no single school structure or style of pedagogy that seems best for anyone. What adolescents need most is an adult who cares about their personal education.
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Formal Operational Thought
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Intuition Versus Analysis Dual Processing and the Brain
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a case to study: James, the High-Achieving Dropout opposing perspectives: Testing
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I have taught at four universities, educating thousands of college students. Most of the content of my courses is standard. That allows me to focus on updating, adding current examples, and adjusting to the particular students. I change methods depending on the particular topic and class (lecture, discussion, polls, groups, video clip, pair/share, role play, written responses, quizzes, and more).
No class is exactly like any other. Group dynamics change, in part because of the individuals in the class. Ideally I know who needs encouragement (“Good question”), who needs prompts (“Do you agree with —”), who should think before they speak (“What is your evidence?”), whose background needs to be understood by others (“Is that what it was like when you were a child in … ?”). Deciding who should learn what, when, and how is my challenge and my joy.
A few years ago, I taught a course for college credit to advanced high school students. They grasped concepts quickly, they studied diligently, they completed papers on time—in all those ways they were good students. But they also presented new pedagogical challenges. For example, one day I was explaining Freud and the following exchange occurred.
Student: I don’t agree with Freud.
Me: You don’t have to agree, just learn the terms and concepts.
Student: Why should I do that?
Me: You need to understand Freud, so you can then disagree.
Student: But I have my own ideas, and I like them better than Freud’s.
I was taken aback. None of my college students had ever been so egocentric as to claim that their own ideas were so good that they didn’t need to bother with Freud. That does not mean they agreed with psychoanalytic theory: Some expressed insightful critiques. But none resisted learning about Freud, especially by deciding in advance that they liked their ideas better.
Then I remembered: Bright as they were, these students were adolescents. I adjusted my teaching accordingly.
This chapter describes adolescent cognition, sometimes impressively brilliant, sometimes surprisingly abstract, and sometimes amazingly egocentric. Then we describe how adolescents are taught—in middle school, in high school, and around the world—and how that aligns or clashes with adolescent cognition.