Question

How might the development of formal operational thinking impact the development of mathematical understanding? Cite examples. (Chapter 9)

Answer 1

Jean Piaget said that cognitive development proceeds in the form of stages. He said that cognitive development proceeds in the following stages- sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operations. The last stage of cognitive development is known as ‘Formal Operations Stage’. It is characterized by the ability to think in an abstract manner by an adolescent who manipulates ideas in their head, without any dependence on concrete manipulation. This stage begins during adolescence and lasts till adulthood.

During this stage, the adolescent acquires the ability to think in logical terms about the abstract concepts like love, hate etc. during this stage they become more adept at doing mathematical calculations in their head. It is because they have now better cognitive abilities than childhood so they become more systematic in solving the problems at hand. It is also that adolescents acquire rule and think in more logical ways. Because of thinking in logical terms is a prerequisite for solving mathematical questions, therefore they formal operational thinking is required for solving mathematical calculations.