Nicole is an adolescent and has experienced changes in cognition and theory of mind capacities. Her mom and dad believe that these changes have both positively and negatively influenced their relationship with their daughter. How would an adolescent development psychologist explain the effects of these developmental changes in cognition?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

With age, adolescents develop a more sophisticated theory of mind, which is the ability to understand that others have beliefs, intentions, and knowledge that may be different from one's own. With this advancement, they are better able to interpret the feelings of others and to infer their motives and feelings, even when specific information is not directly observable. Also, adolescents experience considerable improvements in their ability to view events from the perspective of others. That means Nicole will be more able to understand her parents' perspective on her own point of view.

These gains allow Nicole to improve in communication, as she is more capable of formulating arguments in terms that are more likely to be understood by her parents (whose opinions might differ from hers). Unfortunately, it also means that Nicole is capable of lying more skillfully because she better understands others' views and motivations. Therefore, Nicole's improvements in theory of mind may improve or worsen her relationship with her parents, depending on whether she uses her new skills to understand them or deceive them.

Adolescents increasingly distinguish between moral issues and conventional issues. As a result, adolescents increasingly differentiate between issues authority figures have the right to regulate and issues that are their own personal choice. As adolescents begin to make these distinctions, they may come to question their parents' authority. Issues that had been viewed as matters of right and wrong start to seem like matters of personal choice (and beyond the boundaries of parental control).

Additionally, Nicole's parents might believe their relationship quality has declined because Nicole has become more argumentative. Research indicates that adolescents are better able than young children to envision and therefore anticipate the possible responses of an opponent and to have counterarguments available. This means that Nicole is probably a better arguer than she was as a child.

Finally, as Nicole experiences changes in the way she thinks, she will stop accepting other people's views without question. Because Nicole will shift from seeing things in absolute terms to seeing things as relative, she will be more likely to question others' assertions and less likely to accept facts as absolute truths. This increase in relativism might cause her parents to think that Nicole is questioning everything for the sake of argument.

Key Points:

a) Define theory of mind.

b) Explain why understanding parents' perspective might positively and negatively influence parent-child relationships and communication.

c) Explain why understanding parents' perspective taking may lead to changes in Nicole's beliefs about authority.

d) Explain why Nicole might become more argumentative during adolescence.