Question

Jane is trying to solve a problem in her life. She says, This solution looks good on paper but my gut sense is that it probably won't work in real life. I can think of several other possible solutions. I need to give some more thought to which one is likely to be best under the circumstances. In terms of cognitive development, Jane is exhibiting ________ thinking.

Answer 1

Answer: postformal

Explanation: Postformal thinking or thought could be attributed to a flexible, logical or intellectually complex reasoning whereby a postformal thinker may look to apply abstract reasoning to real life circumstances while also simultaneously considering the possibility of such thought or idea in the real world.

After developing an abstract thought, postformal thinkers then evaluates and weighs such thought on the basis of practicality, and how realistic the idea is to its intended application.

In the context above, after Jane had developed an idea from reasoning, she evaluated the performance based on practicality and how realistic it is in the real world.. This is called postformal thinking.