COGNITIVE TRANSITIONS

Changes in cognition, or thinking, represent the second in a set of three

fundamental changes that occur during adolescence-the others being the biological
changes of puberty and the transition of the adolescent into new social roles.

This can be seen in five chief ways
(Keating, 1990):

1. Adolescents become better able than children to think about what is
possible, instead of limiting their thought to what is real.

2. Adolescents become better able to think about abstract things.

3. Adolescents begin thinking more often about the process of thinking itself.

4. Adolescents' thinking tends to become multidimensional, rather than being
limited to a single issue.

5. Adolescents are more likely than children to see things as relative, rather
than as absolute.

The appearance of more systematic, abstract thinking is the second notable aspect
of cognitive development during adolescence. We noted earlier that children's
thinking is more concrete and more bound to observable events and objects than is
that of adolescents. This difference is clearly evident when we consider the ability
to deal with abstract concepts-things that cannot be experienced directly through
the senses.

A second related problem is called the personal fable. The personal fable
revolves around the adolescent's egocentric (and erroneous) belief that
his or her experiences are unique.

An adolescent, however, would consider the hitter's record in relation to
the specific pitcher on the mound and would weigh Adolescent
egocentrism can contribute to a heightened sense of self-consciousness.
(Don Smetzer/Tony Stone) both factors, and dimensions, before making
a prediction (perhaps this player hits homers against left-handed
pitchers but strikes out against righties).