nd to define concepts. It also is shown by adolescents’ interest in a variety of issues including philosophy, religion, ethics, and politics.Another main part of this stage is that of Hypotheticodeductive thinking. This is the highest organization of cognition and enables people to make a hypothesis or proposition and to test it against reality. Deductive reasoning moves from the general to the particular and is a more complicated process than inductive reasoning, which moves from particular to general.(Rotman 44) This step also brings about self-conscious behavior because of the ability to reflect on their own and other people’s thoughts. As adolescents attempt to master new cognitive tasks, they may return to egocentric thought, but on a higher level than in the past. Not all adolescents enter the stage at the same time or to the same degree. Depending on individual capacity some may not reach the stage at all and may remain in concrete operational mode throughout life.Despite the psychiatric applications Piaget’s theories have been applied more widely in the area of education. Piaget’s concepts have been used to resolve educational problems, such as assessing intellectual development, scholastic aptitude, grade placement, and reading readiness. Innovative early school programs, such as Head Start can be traced to Piaget’s believe that experience plays a major role in human thought. Throughout his writings Piaget emphasized that the greater richness, complexity, and the diversity of the environment, the greater the likelihood that high levels of mental functioning are achieved....
