Reflective Thinking are complex thoughts of "what
if..." and "but..." Dewey established this type of thinking which
happens when full mylenation occurs, so around 20 to 25. As the frontal
lobe is rapidly developing, this process of reflective thinking consists
of thoughts such as: "I really want to do that, but I need
to do this." This thinking involved continuous, active evaluation of
information and beliefs in the light of evidence and implications. One
of reflective thinking's hallmark traits is continually questioning
supposed facts, drawing inferences and making connections. Almost all
adults develop the capacity for reflective thinking yet few attain
optimal proficiency of this skill.
Education/College = #1 predictor of most reflective thinking due to:
- independence
- experience
- exposure to diverse community
- variety to activities
Post-Formal Thought is the ability to deal with uncertainty, inconsistency, contradiction, imperfection and compromise. This draws on intuition and emotion, as well as logic. Thoughts are less rigid and more realistic than during adolescence - more thinking outside the box and flexible thinking, as well as being able to discern shades of grey and realizing life is not strictly black and white.
In order to achieve post-formal thought, one must be able to be
able to shift gears between abstract and real world. Classifying,
categorizing, setting parameters are all integral features of this
thought. Choosing the best solution based on the criteria is also
important.
Schaie's Life-Span Model
Developing uses of intellect within a social context
Through 7 stages a person shifts from:
- Acquisition of information and skills
- Practical integration of knowledge and skills
- Search for meaning and purpose
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Sternberg - Triarchic Theory of Intelligence
- Componential Element - analytic ability (used for tests)
- Experiential Element - insightful, creative thinking
- Contextual Element - practical intelligence (street smarts)
As one ages, creativity and solving practical problems grows or remains
stable until midlife. Analytic (solving academic problems) declines.
Tests such as the IQ and SAT are analytical and look at practical
things, disregarding tacit knowledge and emotional intelligence.
Tacit knowledge: Not formally taught of openly expressed, but
necessary to function successfully. Often known as "commonsense" and
includes self management, when to reward/discipline others and draws on
past experiences.
Emotional intelligence: Ability to understand, perceive, use
manage and regulate emotions. Recognizing and dealing with ones own
feelings and those of others effects the quality of personal
relationships. Important component of effective, intelligent behavior. A
high emotional intelligence seems to underlie competencies that
contribute to work success and may play a role in acquisition and use
of tacit knowledge.
The following
chat is an average of scores on the five tests as a function of age. In
early adulthood, up to age 40, there are still improvements and further
developments. "There
are modest gains on most of the tests ... Whether we measure this in
terms of performance on the qualitative reason- ing tasks favoured by
investigators in the postformal thought school, or in terms of more
traditional psychometric techniques, it appears that intelligence is
still increasing well into adulthood" (Durkin)
Summary:
- Adults continue to develop cognitively, but how they use and apply their knowledge changes over time.
- Refinement of cognitive development
- Street smarts, apply/manipulate knowledge, real world application
- Intelligence can include more than just "book smarts"
- Emotions appear to be an important component
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