FRHD 2280 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Decision Theory, Cognitive Development, Decision-Making
18 Oct 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Week 2: Tuesday & Thursday
Thursday, January 21st 2016
Review Question: Which of the following abilities does NOT develop during the formal
operations stage?
A: Conservation
Last Class
➔ Cognitive development
➔ Cognitive developmental approach
➔ Post-formal thinking
➔ Information processing approach
➔ Cognitive functioning and gender
Critical Thinking
➔ Analyzing information:
◆ Judge meaning
◆ Creative connections
◆ Exploring validity
◆ ex. Reading a journal article
Development of Critical Thinking
➔ More knowledge
➔ Simultaneous consideration of knowledge
➔ Metacognitive strategies
➔ Eduction
◆ In North America, our education is mostly based on memorization and not critical
thinking
Behavioural Decision Theory
Decision making process:
1. Identifying the range of possible choices
2. Identifying the consequences that would result from each choice
3. Evaluating the desirability of each consequence
4. Assessing the likelihood of each consequence
5. Integrating the information into a decision
a. This gets better with age, along with evaluating each decision
Ex. Thinking about what to do after you graduate
➔ Internships, Masters programs, getting a job
➔ Consequences could be more debt, once you get into work, it is hard to go back to
school
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➔ Evaluating the desirability of each consequence: Is it worth it?
➔ Assessing the likelihood of each choice and consequence
➔ eventually, you move towards a final decision
Adolescent Decision-Making
➔ If we know late adolescents are good at decision-making, why do they make bad
decisions/take risks?
◆ There is more focus on what their peers with think
◆ They may not know or care about the potential consequences
◆ Dual Processing Theory
● Decision making is based on two different cognitive processes: Analytic &
Heuristic
◆ Teenage Brain
● Brain development is still occurring and will continue throughout life. The
emotional brain develops before the actual thinking brain and seeks
stimulation that can result in risky behaviours or decisions
➔ At what age should adolescents be allowed to make life changing decisions?
◆ Depends on when the brain develops. Development is different for each person,
causing confliction
Social Cognition
➔ Cognition is the organizational core that impacts all aspects of thinking
➔ How we think about other people, social relationships and social institutions
➔ Two aspects:
◆ 1. Perspective taking
● Ability to understand thoughts and feelings of other people
◆ 2. Adolescent Egocentrism: Having difficulty distinguishing your own thoughts
about yourself and other people
1. Perspective Taking
➔ Early adolescence: Mutual perspective taking
◆ Attemp at establishing a mutual ground; are we talking about the same thing or
something different
➔ Late Adolescence: Social and conventional perspective taking
◆ Their and others social perspectives are impacted through interactions and
societies expectations
◆ It’s the ability to put yourself in somebody else’s shoes
➔ These are necessary to resolve conflict, form empathy and deep relationships,
considerate of other people
Theory of Mind
➔ Ability to attribute mental states to one’s self and others
◆ Beliefs
◆ Thoughts
◆ Feelings
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
In north america, our education is mostly based on memorization and not critical thinking. Thinking about what to do after you graduate. Consequences could be more debt, once you get into work, it is hard to go back to school. Assessing the likelihood of each choice and consequence. Eventually, you move towards a final decision. If we know late adolescents are good at decision-making, why do they make bad. There is more focus on what their peers with think. They may not know or care about the potential consequences. Decision making is based on two different cognitive processes: analytic & Brain development is still occurring and will continue throughout life. The emotional brain develops before the actual thinking brain and seeks stimulation that can result in risky behaviours or decisions. Development is different for each person, causing confliction. Cognition is the organizational core that impacts all aspects of thinking. How we think about other people, social relationships and social institutions.
