Formal Operational Stage of Development - Essay Example

The subject solved the problem with theoretical reasoning and provided a less tangible placement for the third eye that took into consideration the objective of the new third eye rather than a simple function as a seeing tool. Piaget would likely reinforce that people in this stage of development would come up with unique solutions in this hypothetical situation without resorting to only obvious outcomes.

            Adults may not always reason according to Piaget’s theory due to many different factors, one of which is cultural beliefs that either promote or support abstract thinking. For example, family influence in a more docile and less motivated family structure might not have the same support network for education and creativity as other people. Social influence is important in human development.

            Yes, ASU has helped in this effort. ASU challenges students to excel in learning and also to become motivated to consider alternative possibilities to unique problems. The college focuses on theoretical concepts that challenge more conceptual solutions to real-life problems in many classroom teachings. Colleges might want to focus more on critical thinking since students might not get the same creativity and ingenuity from social support networks. People need this foundation to achieve an understanding of complex social and professional scenarios.

            The case study identified a more logical response to the experiment that was consistent with a person in the formal operational stage of development. His responses were rational and based on cognitive experience. The case participant showed a positive and healthy mental development that rationalized the task at hand and provided logical solutions.

            In this particular case, the subject did not rely much on emotions to drive his decision-making, which might indicate a background where ingenuity and figurative reasoning are not supported by mentors, teachers, or his social network. The subject did not see any shades of gray possible in his responses, only a rational solution to a question to please the researcher. More emotional participants might have constructed and provided unusual or wild solutions that were outrageous and impractical based on their own sentiments about participating in the experiment. For example, if the case study participant had been concerned about the researcher’s sentiment about their responses, he might have come up with solutions that would have pleased their relationship rather than focusing on providing a logical solution to the question. The social network or the nature of the relationship between participant and researcher, for people with more emotional sensitivity, might have allowed providing outlandish or eccentric responses to the experiment question.