Chapter 18

Question 1

postformal thought

Answer 1

a proposed adult stage of cognitive development, following piaget’s four stages, that goes beyond adolescent thinking by being more practical, more flexible, and more dialectical (i.e., more capable of combining contradictory elements into a comprehensive whole)

Question 2

stereotype threat

Answer 2

the thought in a person’s mind that one’s appearance or behavior will be misread to confirm another person’s oversimplified, prejudiced attitudes

Question 3

dialectical thought

Answer 3

the most advanced cognitive process, characterized by the ability to consider a thesis and its antithesis simultaneously and this to arrive at a stnrhesis. dialectical thought makes possible an ongoing awareness of pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages, possibilities, and limitations

Question 4

thesis

Answer 4

a proposition of statement of belief; the first stage of the process of dialectical thinking

Question 5

antithesis

Answer 5

a proposition or statement of belief that opposes the thesis; the second stage of the process of dialectical thought

Question 6

synthesis

Answer 6

a new idea that integrates the thesis and its antithesis, thus representing a new and more comprehensive level of truth; the third stage of the process is dialectical thinking

Question 7

defining issues test (DIT)

Answer 7

a series of questions developed by james rest and designed to assess respondent’s level of moral development by having them rank possible solutions to moral dilemmas

Question 8

massification

Answer 8

the idea that establishing institutions of higher learning and encouraging college enrollment can benefit everyone (the masses)

Question 9

massive open online course (MOOC)

Answer 9

a course that is offered solely online for college credit. typically, tuition is very low, and thousands of students enroll