This paper examines the relationship between wisdom and logic as found in adult reasoning. Material is from the current and growing literature in this area. The proposal that adult reasoning is dialectical and, therefore, beyond formal operations is scrutinized in light of popular definitions of wisdom, since wisdom is generally considered to be…

Liberal arts approaches to university education and many theories of counseling share as a goal the development of critical thinking in the individuals served. Such thinking requires the ability to consider the context within which one is working and the context within which the events and ideas under consideration occur. William Perry has…

Discusses adaptive cognitive changes in adulthood from perspectives of adult cognitive development and social cognition theory. Proposes interface between the two disciplines. Applies post-formal literature on cognitive development to area of attributional processes. Discusses implications changes in attributional processes may have for cognitive…

Research on logical competence in adulthood was framed by the general competence-moderator-performance model of life span cognitive development constructed by Overton and his colleagues. This approach was able to distinguish between logical knowledge necessary for task solution and informational processes that may facilitate or inhibit the…

The purpose of this study was to discover if there was a relationship in decisions made between adults and 11-year old students assumed to be at different levels of the formal operations stage in their responses to a situation calling for a moral judgment. (Author)

Studied adults (ages 20-79) presented with two types of problem-solving tasks: a typical task used in problem-solving research, and a task composed of practical daily life problems. Results indicated that developmental function depends on the type of problem presented, while performance on abstract problems may decrease with age. (Author)

Romero's overview of adult developmental theory stresses the work of Erikson, Havighurst, Loevinger, Perry, Kohlberg, and Cross. Rossman and Rossman discuss the development of their Adult Learning Inventory with an extensive source summary for its 4 factors and a 62-item bibliography. (SK)

Examined age- and skill-related differences among adult Bingo players, aged 19 to 74, who had from less that 2 months to over 20 years of playing experience. Subjects completed psychometric, cognitive, and experimental measures. Found no age-related differences on psychometric or memory measures, suggesting that Bingo playing experience may have…

Specifications are offered for a stage theory of adult cognitive development. Current psychometric technologies are criticized as being limited in descriptions of cognitive function. The development of novel technologies is suggested for study of adult cognitive development. Paper presented at the 10th International Congress of Gerontology,…

Considers adult cognitive growth within the social domain. Draws from Plato's writings and from current views to argue that in order to understand how the educational process is to be of use to adult learners, researchers must determine the kinds of cognitive processes most suited to the learner's stage of life. (Author/NB)

Examines four somewhat arbitrary and overlapping themes from the literature in adult and teacher development: life span development, stage development, career development, and teacher development. (HOD)

The results of this study highlight the cognitive intellectual aspect of the speed of behavior. These findings supplement Hunt's studies of the relationships between speed of cognitive processing and performance of young adults on conventional tests, and emphasize the importance of cognitive speed for subsequent intellectual development. (Author)

Education, not age per se, is related to conservation ability during the adult years. Age differences should not be interpreted as age changes without using the more appropriate designs which separate age and cohort effects. Results emphasize the relationship between education and cognitive abilities among the elderly. (Author)

Reconceptualizes Kohlberg's theory and research on moral stages in the light of recent criticisms. A proposed revision describes moral development in adulthood as existential rather than Piagetian and restricts moral judgment in the standard stage sense to childhood and adolescence. (Author/SS)

Are there universal characteristics of adult thought? If so, how do they evolve and manifest themselves in cultures throughout the world? Piaget's formulation of formal operations is the best known and most extensively researched answer to the question regarding universal characteristics. Theoretical alternatives to formal operations differ in the…