Lifespan Psychology

Formal Operational Thinking and Post-Formal Operational Thinking
Formal operational thinking usually begins at age 12. At this point, adolescents can consider problems in abstract rather than concrete terms using formal operational logic. This is called propositional thought. They are able to use formal reasoning and then deduce explanations from the situation. The culture in which a child is raised affects how formal operational thinking is used. Here are a few examples of formal operational thinking.
1.When a child is playing 20 questions, a child in the concrete operational stage may ask bluntly what the object is in the first question. However, a formal operational student may ask what material the object is made of instead.
2. A question is given to a concrete operational thinking child and a formal operational thinking child: "All red birds have two heads. I have a red bird named Bobby. How many heads does Bobby have?" Formal operational thinkers will concentrate on the fact that you stated Bobby has two heads, whether it is factual or not, that is what the question stated.
3. Say you have 4 types of books: fictional, non-fictional, hard-back, and soft-back, a formal operational thinker would understand that the first three out of four classes may be classified together.
Next, humans transition into post-formal thinking. In order to do this, there must be intellectual growth. The manifestation of the eight dimensions of growth contribute greatly. The dimensions include the following: The ability to maintain attention over time, a diverse increase of power in the voluntary mechanisms of inhibition, an increase in the access of memory or awareness, the ability to deal with a great universe of hypothesis that are logically and serially derived, the ability to superimpose dimensionality on the concrete situation (power of synthesis), a decline in emotional dependence on other humans, an increase in speed capacity in the central nervous system, and an increase in Cognitive Autonomy. Transitioning into this stage also requires an appropriate stimulating environment, based on inquiring and using rules in an increasingly more complex situation rather than in stages. Thinking both objectively and dialectically and having the ability to accept and integrate inherent contradictions and alternative truth shows that you are no longer a formal operational thinker, but have become a post-formal operational thinker. Post-formal operational thinking continues beyond adolescence because you are constantly being faced with complexities throughout adulthood. Post-formal operational thinking goes beyond formal operational thinking. Rather than logical processes of thinking (right and wrong), sometimes problems are solved in relativistic terms. Post-formal also encompasses dialectical thinking (interest in or appreciation for argument, counterargument, and debate). Post-formal tends to shift between abstract, ideal solution, and real-world constraints all while possibly hindering implementation of solution. In Post-formal operational thinking, it is possible to hold multiple perspectives on an issue. Examples of Post-formal operational thinking include:
1. An undergraduate sociology student's perspective of “a lot" of research is significantly different than that of a graduate student's perspective of "a lot". A graduate student can relate with the fact of having a lot of research to do, yet he can still argue that there will be a lot more research as a graduate student.
2. A fiver year old may be happy to get a new toy from the store, while his parents are happy to get to take a nap. A new toy may not make the parents happy, just like nap would not make a five-year-old happy. Yet, they all can relate to each other's happiness.
3.Your ideal solution for dealing with your disobedient child may be different than another parent's solution for dealing with their disobedient child. In this example, both parents know that discipline is needed for their children, but may administer it in different forms. In the end, the more you challenge yourself, the more cognitively developed you will be.