Activity #1- Cognitive Development

Activity 1 – Cognitive Development I – (Essay Assignment)

Instructions:

Write a short essay (400600 words) applying Piagets, Kohlbergs, or Gilligans theories to a real-life situation, it can be the topics that related to last week’s article review presentation or any adolescent development problems that you are intereted in or think that needed to be addressed (e.g., cheating in school, AI use, eating disorders, weight loss, skipping classes, substance use, etc.).

Choose one of the following three prompts:

1. Piaget Cognitive Development in Adolescence
2. How can Piagets formal operational stage (e.g., hypothetical-deductive reasoning, egocentrism, imaginary audience, personal fable) help us understand adolescent behavior in school or at home today? Use an example such as decision-making in school, peer pressure, or how teenagers use social media. For example, the way adolescents respond to online dilemmas, such as cyberbullying or misinformation? Make sure to use the key words/terminology from Jean Piaget.
3. Kohlberg Moral Development & Justice
4. Apply Kohlbergs stages of moral development to a real-world dilemma, such as cheating in school, AI use, eating disoder, weight loss, skipping classes, substance uses, or topics you discussed in previous weeks. Which stage best explains how adolescents might reason through the issue, and why does this stage fits their issue? How might their issues be formed, or possible intervention to address the dillemma based on Kohlberg’s theory.
5. Gilligan Ethics of Care
6. Using Gilligans ethics of care, analyze a contemporary situation such as healthcare choices, family caregiving, or social media interactions. How might Gilligan’s perspective differ from a justice-based approach nowadays? Do you think her ideas are especially relevant in todays society? Such as gender influence moral decisions. If yes/no, provided specific reasons.

Requirements:

• Introduce and describe the your chosen dilemma/context clearly and thoroughly.
• Apply at least one theory from the three prompts to illustrate the chosen dilemma or context, using APA citations if needed. Explain why this theory is relevant and how it can help us understand the phenomenon. For example, how could the Formal Operational Stage impact teens substance use? How might Kohlbergs stages of moral development influence teens decisions to cheat in school by using AI? You may use specific examples to support your reasoning.
• Conclude with your own perspective by applying critical thinking lens. For instance, are there aspects of the theory that are not applicable to address this phenomenon? If so, identify the mismatch (e.g., assumptions, cultural/contextual limits, developmental stage) and explain why. How does applying the theory change and/or deepen your understanding of the issue?