Cognitive Development

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Cognitive Development

• A Look at How Students Think

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Do any of these sound familiar?

• Sowhich is the right answer?
• What exactly do you want from us?
• Well, if there is no right answer, then my
  opinion is just as valid as yours.

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If so, its not surprising

• And its not necessarily because the students
  have been given wrong answers
• Or, because youve been confusing or unclear
• Ratheryour students cognitive development may
  not have reached a level appropriate to what you
  are expecting from them

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Cognitive Development

• What is Cognitive Development?
• Why is it important to understand?
• Perrys model of Cognitive Development
• Other models
• References

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What is Cognitive Development?

• Cognitive development is a process through which
  people develop more sophisticated methods of
  understanding or perceiving information,
  opinions, theories, or facts.
• In a senseit describes the intellectual
  transition a person makes from being able to deal
  with a black and white world, to one with many
  shades of gray.

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Why is it important to understand?

• Provides insight into student perspectives
• Helps instructors appreciate how students
  understand or perceive information
• Allows instructors to appropriately tailor
  information or questions
• Current level
• Beyond

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Why is it important to understand?

• Concepts appropriately beyond the current
  cognitive level result in
• disequilibrium
• followed by
• accomodation
• Going too far can cause frustration. If too
  great, the student may leave.

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Perrys Model

• Perrys model is concerned with
• How students move from a dualistic (black and
  white) view of the universe to a more
  relativistic (shades of gray) view
• How students develop commitments within the
  relativistic world
• Perrys model includes four separate stages which
  are broken down into nine individual positions

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Perrys Model The Positions

• Stage 1 Dualism
• Position 1 Basic Duality
• Position 2 Dualism Multiplicity
  Prelegitimate
• Stage 2 Multiplicity
• Position 3 Early Multiplicity
• Position 4 Complex Dualism and Advanced
  Multiplicity

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Perrys Model The Positions

• Stage 3 Relativism
• Position 5 Relativism
• Position 6 Relativism Commitment Foreseen
• Stage 4 Commitment
• Positions 7, 8 and 9 Levels of Commitment

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Stage 1 Dualism

• Students learn how to learn
• There are right answers and wrong answers.
• Learning is information exchange.
• Knowledge is quantitative and the right answers
  are dispensed by authorities.

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Position 1 Basic Duality

• World view is dualistic right versus wrong
• Authorities know all of the answers
• Men identify with authority. Women do not.
• Instructor should teach correct answers. Failure
  to do so indicates the instructor is bad.
• Conflicts with multiplicity result in
  accommodation by modifying position 1 and moving
  to position 2.

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Position 2 Multiplicity Prelegitimate

• Multiplicity exists, but basic dualistic view
  maintained
• There is a right and wrong.
• Multiple views are either wrong or the authority
  is playing games to make us figure out the right
  answer
• Since authorities can be wrong, the absolute
  answers are independent of authority, and
  consequently some authorities are smarter than
  others.

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Position 2 Multiplicity Prelegitimate

• Engineering students in this position can solve
  problems
• Closed-end
• Single correct answer

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Stage 2 Multiplicity

• Students learn to think independently and improve
  their ability to think analytically.
• There are conflicting answers, so one must trust
  their inner voice, not authority.
• A continuum exists such that diverse views can be
  accepted when the answer is unknown.
• All opinions are valid.

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Position 3 Early Multiplicity

• Multiplicity unavoidable even in hard
  sciences/engineering
• Still one right answer, but it may be unknown by
  authority
• Gap widens between authority and the one truth

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Position 3 Early Multiplicity

• Realization begins that knowledge in some areas
  is fuzzy
• Conflict arises how can instructor evaluate
  students work if the answer is not yet known?
• What do they want?
• In engineering few opportunities exist, outside
  of design classes, to move to positions 3 or 4

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Position 4 Complex Dualism and Advanced
Multiplicity

• Tries to retain dualistic view, but understands
  that variety of opinion legitimately exists
• Conforms to what authority wants by learning
  independent intellectual thought
• Learns that independent-like thought will earn
  good grades

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Position 4 Complex Dualism and Advanced
Multiplicity

• May oppose authoritys wants in areas where
  multiplicity is important
• Engineer in position 4 can generate clever,
  creative solutions to problems.
• May lack vision and ability to prioritize.
• Many engineers with advanced degrees are in
  positions 3 and 4

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Stage 3 Relativism

• Individual recognizes the need to support
  opinions
• Rationale for beliefs takes into account
  questioning as well as a contextual basis for
  positions taken.
• Knowledge is viewed more qualitatively.
• Knowledge is contextually defined, based on
  evidence and supporting arguments.

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Position 5 Relativism

• Student now sees everything as relative
• Relativism is now the common characteristic and
  absolutes are the exceptions. This is the
  reverse of position 4.
• Relativistic thought becomes habitual without
  being noticed.
• Students in a relativistic position advances
  beyond the all opinions are equal stage by
  using evidence to develop positions which are
  more likely.

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Position 6 Relativism Commitment Foreseen

• Student can see the need for commitment, but has
  not yet made it
• Commitment is a mature decision made after one
  has accepted that the world can be viewed as
  relativistic and has seen all of the possibilities

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Position 6 Relativism Commitment Foreseen

• Previous decisions recalled and examined from a
  detached viewpoint.
• Commitments can be made in a variety of areas
  such as career, religion, marriage, politics,
  values, etc.
• Major commitments are not to be rushed. Student
  may stay in position 6 for a while.

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Stage 4 Commitment

• Student finds the sense of identity searched for
  elsewhere.
• Knowledge learned from others integrated with
  personal experience and thought.
• Making choices in a contextual world.
• Initiates the ethical development of the thinker

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Positions 7, 8 and 9 Levels of Commitment

• Positions 7 through 9 are levels of commitment
  beginning initially in position 7.
• Positions represent degrees of development and
  depth.

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Other Cognitive Development Models

• Baxter Magolda's Model of Epistemological
  Reflection
• Belenky's Epistemological Perspectives from Which
  Women Know and View the World
• Sinnotts Complex Postformal Thought

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References

• Wankat, Phillip C., Oreovicz, Frank S., Teaching
  Engineering, McGraw-Hill, Inc., New York, Chapter
  14.
• www.cs.buffalo.edu/rapaport/perry.positions.html
• www.ericfacility.net/ericdigest/ed284272.html
• www.new.towson.edu/iact/main_files/cognitive.htm
• admin.vmi.edu/ir/sid.htm

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References

• academic.pg.cc.md.us/wpeirce/MCCCTR/perry1.html
• arl.cni.org/newsltr/193/ld.html
• english.ttu.edu/kairos/2.1/features/brent/perry.ht
  m