9.2 Cognitive Development

• Formal Operational Thinking is a theory formulated by Piaget, which demonstrates how the cognitive capacity of the adolescent allows them to go beyond the sensible and concrete to dwell on what is abstract, hypothetical, and possible.
• Propositional thinking involves making assertions outside of visual evidence, and stating what may be possible in things not seen by the eyes, such as whether an unseen object is red or green, big or small, flat or round.
• Relativistic thinking is subjectively making an opinion on facts, involving one's own bias, prejudice, or distortion of facts, which may be either right or wrong, such as arguing for or against the superiority of the races, whether white, brown, yellow or black.
• Real vs possible involves examining a situation and exploring the possible in terms of situations or solutions, such as possible success in implementing a student project or a school policy.
• Information-processing theories by Robert Siegler see cognitive growth not as stages of development, but more of a sequential acquisition of specific knowledge and strategies for problem-solving.
• Metacognition is the ability to identify one's own thinking processes and strategies, inclusive of perception, memory, understanding, application, analysis, assessment and innovation.
• Withdrawn underachievers are those who have a more pronounced tendency to be passive, resulting in being submissive and docile, and follow the path of no resistance, not reacting to given assignments and school regulations.
• Aggressive underachievers are those who tend to be talkative, disruptive, and rebellious.
• Egocentrism is the adolescents' tendency to think too much of themselves, while being too sensitive to social acceptance of their appearance, actions, feelings, ideas, etc.
• Idealism refers to imagining the far-fetched and less ideal situations at home, in school, and in society.
• Increased argumentativeness is a characteristic of teens who enjoy learning through the use of group dynamics including role play, discussion, debate, and drama.
• John Holland has identified basic personality factors that match with attitude and work preferences.
• Realistic is a personality type which prefers practical tasks, including those requiring physical labor and motor coordination, and less of interpersonal skills such as carpentry, driving, farming, civil engineering, etc.
• Investigative is a personality type which prefers tasks that are conceptual such as in the fields of science and technology as chemists, scientists, technologists, etc.
• Artistic is a personality type that prefers unstructured tasks that show ability for self-expression such as artists, musicians, and performers.
• Social is a personality type that prefers tasks that utilize social, educational, and therapeutic skills and value interpersonal relationships such as in the fields of teaching, social work, physical therapist.
• Enterprising is a personality type that prefers independence and innovation in business and other enterprises that reflect autonomy and personal initiative as salesperson, travel agent, judge, hotel manager.
• Conventional is a personality type that prefers structured tasks that cater to the needs of others, such as in office jobs and manual labor as clerk, bank teller, typist, bookkeeper, and the like.
• Self-reliance is a personality type that works independently without stress.
• Money management is a personality type that does not spend money on luxuries, much less on alcohol and drugs.
• Social responsibility is a personality type that cooperates and respects others including superiors.
• Mature work orientation is a personality type that takes pride in work and quality of work.
• Personal responsibility is a personality type that assumes tasks independently and competitively.
• Positive attitude to work is a personality type that sees work as a gainful and wholesome activity and not a burden.