THE MENTAL SELF

“ A SOUND MIND IN A SOUND BODY IS A SHORT

BUT FULL DESCRIPTION OF A HAPPY STATE IN THIS
WORLD”
JOHN LOCKE LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1., ACQUIRE A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF CORE
CONCEPTS OF ADOLESCENT COGNITION AND
THINKING
2. UNDERSTANDING OF THINKING AND LEARNING,
WHICH POTENTIALLY CAN RESULT IN A MORE
EFFECTIVE PARTICIPATION I N DAY TO DAY , AND
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
3. APPRECIATE THE COMPLEXITY OF THEMSELVES
AS A LEARNER AND THINKER
MENTAL SELF ON A SURFACE LEVEL IS OUR
THOUGHTS AND ON THE DEEPER LEVEL, IT IS THE
DOMAIN OF OUR BELIEFS, DESIRES AND VALUES,
AND GOALS. OUR BELIEF COMPRISES OUR
OPINIONS AND CONVICTIONS ABOUT THINGS THAT
WE HOLD AS BEING TRUE WITHOUT ANY CONCRETE
PROOFS. VALUES ARE REPRESENTATIONS OF WHAT
WE EMBRACE INTERNALLY AS ESSENTIAL AND
IMPORTANT I N OUR LIFE. VALUES AND BELIEFS ARE
BYPRODUCTS OF OUR THOUGHTS THAT WERE
FORMED IN OUR EARLY CHILDHOOD.
WE ALL HAVE DREAMS TO ACHIEVE OR TO ATTAIN
SOMETHING WE WANT IN OUR LIVES THAT IS WHY
WE SET GOALS AND INTENTIONS TO HELP US GET
TO SOME DIRECTIONS. SOME OF OUR SURFACE
LEVEL THOUGHTS CREATE GOALS AND LEAD OUR
MENTAL FOCUS FROM TIME TO TIME. THIS IS HOW
OUR LOGICAL, LINEAR MINDS LEARN AND OPERATE,
AND IT IS ONE OF THE ASPECTS OF OURSELVES THAT
IS MOST COMMON TO US. IT IS OUR INTELLECT,
ANALYZER, AND REASON CENTER.
THE IMPORTANCE OF AWARENESS OF OUR MENTAL
SELF IS AN ESSENTIAL KEY FOR US TO HAVE A
COMPLETE HUMAN EXPERIENCE. IT SHOULD WORK
HAND IN HAND WITH THE OTHER PART OF US
PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY AND SPIRITUALLY.
THE BRAIN STRUCTURE:
THE BRAIN IS THE ORGAN IN OUR BODIES THAT
MOST DIRECTLY CONTROLS OUR THOUGHTS,
EMOTIONS, AND MOTIVATIONS ( GLOOR, 1997;
ROCKLAND 2000; SHEPHERD 1998)
THE BRAIN HAS THREE MAJOR REGIONS :
FOREBRAIN, MIDBRAIN, AND HINDBRAIN.
The FOREBRAIN:
IS THE REGION OF THE BRAIN LOCATED TOWARD
THE TOP AND FRONT OF THE BRAIN. IT COMPRISES
THE CEREBRAL CORTEX, THE BASAL GANGLIA, THE
LIMBIC SYSTEM, THE THALAMUS AND THE
HYPOTHALAMUS. THE CEREBRAL CORTEX IS THE
OUTER LAYER OF THE CEREBRAL HEMISPHERE. IT
PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN OUR THINKING AND OTHER
MENTAL PROCESSES. THE BASAL GANGLIA
(SINGULAR GANGLION) ARE COLLECTIONS OF
NEURONS CRUCIAL TO MOTOR FUNCTION. THE
LIMBIC SYSTEM IS IMPORTANT TO EMOTION,
MOTIVATION, MEMORY AND LEARNING. IT HELPS
US TO ADAPT OUR BEHAVIORS FLEXIBLY IN
RESPONSE TO OUR CHANGING ENVIRONMENT. THE
LIMBIC SYSTEM COMPRISES THREE CENTRAL
INTERCONNECTED CEREBRAL STRUCTURES: THE
SEPTUM, THE AMYGDALA, AND THE HIPPOCAMPUS.
THE SEPTUM IS INVOLVED IN ANGER AND FEAR. THE
AMYGDALA PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN
EMOTION AS WELL, ESPECIALLY IN ANGER AND
AGGRESSION. THE HIPPOCAMPUS PLAYS AN
ESSENTIAL ROLE IN MEMORY FORMATION. THE
HIPPOCAMPUS IS ESSENTIAL FOR FLEXIBLE
LEARNING AND FOR SEEING THE RELATIONS
AMONG ITEMS LEARNED AS WELL AS SPATIAL
MEMORY. THE THALAMUS RELAYS INCOMING
SENSORY INFORMATION THROUGH GROUPS PF
NEURONS THAT PROJECT TO THE APPROPRIATE
REGION IN THE CORTEX. THE HYPOTHALAMUS
REGULATES BEHAVIOR RELATED TO SPECIES
SURVIVAL: FIGHTING, FEEDING, FLEEING AND
MATING. IT IS ALSO ACTIVE IN REGULATING
EMOTIONS AND REACTIONS TO STRESS.
THE MIDBRAIN:
HELPS TO CONTROL EYE MOVEMENT AND
COORDINATION. THE MIDBRAIN IS more
IMPORTANT IN NON-MAMMALS WHERE IT IS THE
MAIN SOURCE OF CONTROL FOR VISUAL AND
AUDITORY INFORMATION. IN MAMMALS THESE
FUNCTIONS ARE DOMINATED BY THE FORNRAIN.
THE RETICULAR ACTIVATING SYSTEM AND ALSO
CALLED RETICULAR FORMATION IS A NETWORK OF
NEURONS ESSENTIAL TO THE REGULATION OF
CONSCIOUSNESS ( SLEEP; WAKEFULNESS; AROUSAL;
ATTENTION TO SOME EXTENT; AND VITAL
FUNCTIONS SUCH AS HEARTBEAT, AND BREATHING.
THE BRAINSTEM CONNECTS THE FOREBRAIN TO
THE SPINAL CORD. IT COMPRISES THE
HYPOTHALAMUS, THE THALAMUS, THE MIDBRAIN,
AND THE HINDBRAIN. A STRUCTURE CALLED THE
PERIAQUEDUCTAL GRAY (PAG) IS IN THE
BRAINSTEM. THIS REGION SEEMS TO BE ESSENTIAL
FOR CERTAIN KINDS OF ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR.
THE HINDBRAIN:
COMPRISES THE MEDULLA OBLONGATA, THE PONS,
AND THE CEREBELLUM. THE MEDULLA OBLONGATA
CONTROLS HEART ACTIVITY AND LARGELY
CONTROLS BREATHING, SWALLOWING, AND
DIGESTION. THE MEDULLA IS ALSO THE PLACE AT
WHICH NERVES FROM THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE
BODY CROSS OVER TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE BRAIN
AND NERVES FROM THE LEFT SIDE OF THE BODY
CROSS OVER TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAIN. THE
PONS SERVES AS A KIND OF RELAY STATION
BECAUSE IT CONTAINS NEURAL FIBERS THAT PASS
SIGNALS FROM ONE PART OF THE BRAIN TO
ANOTHER. THE CEREBELLUM (LITTLE BRAIN)
CONTROLS BODY COORDINATION, BALANCE AND
MUSCLE TONE, AS WELL AS SOME ASPECTS OF
MEMORY INVOLVING PROSEDURE RELATED
MOVEMENTS.
ATTENTION AND MEMORY:
ATTENTION IS THE CONCENTRATION AND
FOCUSING OF MENTAL EFFORT. ATTENTION IS BOTH
SELECTIVE AND SHIFTING. FOR EXAMPLE WHEN
STUDENTS TAKE A TEST, THEY MUST BE ABLE TO
FOCUS THEIR MENTAL EFFORTON CERTAIN STIMULI
(TEST QUESTIONS) WHILE EXCLUDING OTHER
STIMULI. THIS IMPORTANT ASPECT OF ATTENTION
IS CALLED SELECTIVITY.
NOT ONLY IS ATTENTION SELECTIVE,IT IS ALSO
SHIFTABLE. IF A TEACHER ASKS STUDENTS TO PAY
ATTENTION TO A CERTAIN QUESTION AND THEY DO
SO, THEIR BEHAVIORS INDICATE THAT THEY CAN
SHIFT FOCUS OF THEIR MENTAL EFFORT FROM ONE
STIMULUS TO ANOTHER. IF SOMEONE CALLED ON
THE PHONE WHILE THE STUDENT IS STUDYING, HE
WILL SHIFT HIS ATTENTION TO THE PHONE.
MEMORY:
IS THE RETENTION 0F INFORMATION OVER TIME. IT
IS CENTRAL TO MENTAL LIFE AND TO INFORMATION
PROCESSING. TO SUCCESSFULLY LEARN, STUDENTS
NEED TO HOLD INFORMATION AND RETRIEVE IT
WHEN NECESSARY.
EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING:
ATTENTION AND MEMORY ARE IMPORTANT
DIMENSIONS OF INFORMATION PROCESSING, BUT
OTHER DIMENSIONS ARE IMPORTANT. ON
ADOLESCENTS ATTEND TO INFORMATION TO
ENGAGE IN A MEMBER OF HIGH-ORDER COGNITIVE
ACTIVITIES SUCH AS MAKING DECISIONS,
REASONING, CRITICAL THINKING, CREATIVE
THINKING, AND METACOGNITION. THIS TYPES OF
HIGHER-ORDER ARE CALLED EXECUTIVE
FUNCTIONING.
DECISION MAKING:
ADOLESCENTS IS A TIME OF INCREASED DECISION
MAKING WHICH FRIENDS TO CHOOSE, TO DATE,
WHETHER TO HAVE SEX OR GO TO COLLEGE. OLDER
ADOLESCENTS ARE DESCRIBED AS MORE
COMPETENT THAN YOUNGER ADOLESCDENTS.
COMPARED WITH CHILDREN, YOUNG ADOLESCENTS
ARE MORE LIKELY TO GENERATE DIFFERENT
OPTIONS, EXAMINE A SITUATION FROM A VARIETY
OF PERSPECTIVES, ANTICIPATE THE CONSEQUENCES
OF DECISIONS, AND CONSIDER THE CREDIBITY OF
SOURCES.
REASONING:
A LOGICAL THINKING AND USES INDUCTION AND
DEDUCTION TO REACH A CONCLUSION. INDUCTIVE
REASONING INVOLVES REASONING FROM THE
SPECIFIC TO THE GENERAL. DEDUCTIVE REASONING
IS FROM GENERAL TO SPECIFIC. WHEN SOMEONE IS
TRYING TO SOLVE PUZZLES OR RIDDLES HE/SHE IS
ENGAGING IN DEDUCTIVE REASONING.
CRITICAL THINKING:
THINKING REFLECTIVELY AND PRODUCTIVELY AND
EVALUATING EVIDENCE. ADOLESCENCE IS AN
IMPORTANT TRANSITIONAL PERIOD IN THE
DEVELOPMENT OF CRITICAL THINKING
(KEATING,1990) AMONG THE COGNITIVE CHANGES
THAT ALLOW IMPROVED CRITICAL THINKING
DURING THIS PERIOD ARE THE FOLLOWING:
1.INCREASED SPEED, AUTOMATICITY, AND
CAPACITY FOR INFORMATION PROCESSING
WHICH FREES COGNITIVE RESOURCES FOR
OTHER PURPOSES
 2.GREATER BREADTH OF CONTENT KNOWLEDGE
IN A VARIETY OF DOMAINS
3.INCREASED ABILITY TO CONSTRUCT NEW
COMBINATION OF KNOWLEDGE
4.A GREATER RANGE AND MORE SPONTANEOUS
USE OF STRATEGIES AND PROCEDURES FOR
OBTAINING AND APPLYING KNOWLEDGE
CREATIVE THINKING:
CREATIVITY IS THE ABILITY TO THINK IN NOVEL
WAYS AND DISCOVER UNIQUE SOLUTIONS TO
PROBLEMS. AN EXAMPLE QUESTION IS “CAN YOU
THINK OF SOME UNIQUE USES FOR PAPER CLIPS?”
CREATIVITY AND INTELLIGENCE ARE NOT THE SAME
THING. ALTHOUGH MOST CREATIVE STUDENTS ARE
QUITE INTELLIGENT, THE REVERSE IS NOT
NECESSARILY TRUE. (LUBART,2003) AN IMPORTANT
GOAL OF EDUCATION IS TO HELP ADOLESCENTS
BECOME MORE CREATIVE. ( KAUFMAN AND
STERNBERG 2006). HERE ARE SOME GOOD
STRATEGIES FOR ACCOMPLISHING THIS GOAL:
1.HAVE ADOLESCENTS ENGAGE IN
 BRAINSTORMING AND COME UP WITH AS
MANY IDEAS AS POSSIBLE. ENCOURAGE THEM
TO COME UP WITH CREATIVE IDEAS IN A
GROUP, PLAY OFF EACH OTHER’S IDEAS AND
SAY PRACTICALLY WHATEVER COMES TO MIND.
2.INTRODUCE ADOLESCENTS TO ENVIRONMENTS
THAT STIMULATES CREATIVITY. ENCOURAGE
CREATIVITY BY TAKING THEM TO LOCATIONS
WHERE CREATIVITY IS VALUED.
3.DON’T OVER CONTROL. LETTING THEM SELECT
THEIR INTERESTS AND SUPPORTING THEIR
INCLINATIONS ARE LESS LIKELY TO DESTROY
THEIR NATURAL CURIOSITY THAN DICTATING
WHICH ACTIVITY THEY SHOULD ENGEGE IN.
4.ENCOURAGE INTERNAL MOTIVATION. CREATIVE
ADOLESCENTS’ MOTIVATION IS THAT
SATISFACTION GENERATED BY THE WORK
ITSELF. COMPETITION FOR PRIZES AND FORMAL
EVALUATIONS OFTEN 5.INTRODUCE ADOLESCENTS TO
UNDERMINE INTRINSIC CREATIVE PEOPLE. INVITE THE
MOTIVATION AND CREATIVITY. MOST CREATIVE PEOPLE IN
YOUR COMMUNITY AND ASK LESSONS INVOLVING VERBAL
THEM TO DESCRIBE WHAT MATH PROBLEMS, A TEACHER
HELPS THEM BECOME CREATIVE GUIDED LOW-ACHIEVING
OR TO DEMONSTRATE THEIR STUDENTS IN LEARNING
CREATIVE SKILLS. INVOLVING VERBAL MATH THEY
METACOGNITION: DID NOT KNOW THE MEANING
OF THE WORD, DID NOT HAVE
COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGISTS ALL THE NECESSARY
CALL THIS KIND OF THOUGHT INFORMATION TO SOLVE A
AS COGNITION ABOUT PROBLEM, DID NOT KNOW HOW
COGNITION OR “KNOWING TO SUBDIVIDE A
ABOUT KNOWING”.
METACOGNITION SKILLS HAVE
BEEN TAUGHT TO STUDENTS TO
HELP THEM SOLVE MATH
PROBLEMS. (CARDELLE ELAWAR, Commented [CN1]:
1992) IN EACH OF 30 DAILY
PROBLEM INTO SPECIFIC STEPS, OR DID NOT KNOW
HOW TO CARRY OUT A COMPUTATION. AFTER
COMPLETING THESE LESSONS, THE STUDENTS WHO
HAD RECEIVED THE METACOGNITIVE TRAINING HAD
BETTER MATH ACHIEVEMENT AND BETTER
ATTITUDES TOWARD MATH.
THEORIES OF INTELLIGENCE.:
WHAT EXACTLY IS INTELLIGENCE? WHILE
INTELLIGENCE IS ONE OF THE MOST TALKED ABOUT
SUBJECTS IN PSYCHOLOGY, THERE IS NO STANDARD
DEFINITION OF WHAT EXACTLY CONSTITUTES
INTELLIGENCE.SOME RESEARCHERS HAVE
SUGGESTED THAT INTELLIGENCE IS A SINGLE,
GENERAL ABILITY, WHILE OTHERS BELIEVE THAT
INTELLIGENCE ENCOMPASSES A WIDE RANGE OF
APTITUDES, SKILLS, AND TALENTS.
HOWARD GARDNER SUGGESTS THERE ARE EIGHT
TYPES OF INTELLIGENCE.
ACCORDING TO GARDNER, EVERYONE HAS ALL OF
THESE INTELLIGENCES BUT TO VARYING DEGREES.
AS A RESULT, INDIVIDUALS PREFER TO LEARN AND
PROCESS INFORMATION IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
PEOPLE LEARN BEST WHEN THEY CAN APPLY THEIR
STRONG INTELLIGENCES TO THE TASK.
HOW CAN WE MAINTAIN OUR COGNITIVE
FUNCTIONS?
AS WE AGE, OUR ABILITY TO CONCENTRATE
DECREASES, AND WE AREN’T ABLE TO EXECUTE
STANDARD MEN TAL OPERATIONS AS QUICKLY AS
WE DID WHEN WE WERE YOUNGER. HERE ARE
SOME PRACTICAL TIPS AND COMMONSENSE
RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WILL HELP YOU
ACQUIRE GOOD HABITS FOR MAINTAIN YOUR
COGNITIVE CAPACITIES ON A DAILY BASIS WITHOUT
A LOT OF EFFORT.
1.PRACTICE THE ART OF FOCUSING. IN ORDER TO
REMEMBER SOMETHING, IT IS OFTEN USEFUL
TO FOCUS ON WHAT IS BEING DONE AS
MEMORIZATION OCCURS. FOR EXAMPLE, IF
YOU READ A TEXT WITHOUT FOCUSING, IT IS
VERY LIKELY THAT YOU WILL NOT REMEMBER A
WORD OF IT.
2.MENTALLY REPEAT THE INFORMATION WHEN
YOU WANT TO MEMORIZE. STUDIES HAVE
SHOWN THAT REPEATING INFORMATION THAT
YOU HA VE JUST LEARNED HELPS TO ENSURE
ITS TRANSFER INTO A LONG-TERM MEMORY,
WHERE IT IS MORE LIKELY TO BE REMEMBERED.
MEMORY STRENGTHENED BY REPETITION.
3.SUM UP THE INFORMATION. MAKING A
SUMMARY OF THE INFORMATION YOU NEED
 TO RETAIN ENABLES YOU TO EXTRACT ITS
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS WITHOUT OVERLOADING
YOUR SHORT-TERM MEMORY WITH
UNIMPORTANT DETAILS.
4.ORGANIZE THE INFORMATION YOU WANT TO
LEARN. CLASSIFYING THE INFORMATION YOU
WANT TO LEARN IS ALSO A USEFUL STEP IN
MEMORIZATION, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAVE
TO REMEMBER A LARGE AMOUNT OF
INFORMATION, LIKE LONG SHOPPING
LIST.WHEN YOU ORGANIZE THE INFORMATION
INTO LOGICAL CATEGORIES, THE
MEMORIZATION PROCESS BECOMES EASIER.
5.CREATE ACRONYMS. MNEMONIC DEVICES LIKE
ACRONYMS HELP YOU MAKE THE PROCESS OF
MEMORIZATION EASIER. IF YOU USE THEM
REGULARLY, THEY BECOME EFFICIENT TOOLS. FOR
EXAMPLE, IN MEMORIZING A LISGT OF WORDS,
YOU MAKE UP AN ACRONYM FROM THE FIRST
LETTERS, SO THAT EACH LETTER ACTS
AS TRIGGER FOR THE RETRIEVAL OF THE
WORDS.
6.TURN ROUTINE TASKS INTO RITUALS. IN ORDER
NOT TO LOSE YOUR KEYS, GLASSES OR
IMPORTANT LETTERS, YOU SHOULD ALWAYS
PUT AN OBJECT IN THE SAME PLACE, AND
EVEN-BETTER IN A PLACE THAT IS RELATED TO
ITS FUNCTION. IN THE SAME WAY, IN ORDER
NOT TO FORGET DAILY TASKS, LIKE WATERING
PLANTS, OR TAKING MEDICATIONS, YOU
SHOULD PERFORM AT THE SAME TIME EACH
DAY.
7.USE SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL LANDMARKS
WHEN RETRIEVING INFORMATION. TO
REMEMBER AN ITINERARY ALONG CITY STREETS
THAT YOU AREN’T FAMILIAR WITH, TURN
AROUND AT REGULAR INTERVALS TO VISUALIZE
THE RETURN ROUTE.
8.CREATE ASSOCIATIONS. TO LEARN A LIST OF
WORDS, FOR INSTANCE YOU CAN BUILD A
SENTENCE OR PHRASE THAT ASSOCIATES
SEVERAL WORDS IN THE LIST. YOU CAN ALSO
ASSOCIATE A WORD WITH A FAMILIAR
LOCATION, OR WITH AN OBJECT IN THAT
LOCATION.

END OF MODULE*****