Core Concepts
of A Cognitive Approach to Career Development and Services
Gary W. Peterson, James P.
Sampson, Jr., Robert C. Reardon, and Janet G. Lenz
June 4, 2003
Copyright 2003 by Gary W. Peterson,
James P. Sampson, Jr., Robert C. Reardon, and Janet G. Lenz
All Rights Reserved
Center for the Study of
Technology in Counseling and Career Development
University Center, Suite A4100
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida 32306-2490
(850) 644-6431 (voice) (850) 644-3273
(FAX)
http://www.career.fsu.edu/techcenter
Translating Theory to Practice
Pyramid of Information Processing Domains
The cognitive information processing
(CIP) approach to career development and services (Peterson, Sampson, &
Reardon, 1991; Peterson, Sampson, Reardon, & Lenz, 1996; 2002; Sampson,
Lenz, Reardon, & Peterson, 1999; Sampson, Peterson, Reardon, & Lenz,
2000, Sampson, Reardon, Peterson, & Lenz, 2004) is intended to enhance the
link between theory and practice in the delivery of cost-effective career
services for adolescents and adults.
Our aim is to help individuals make an appropriate current career choice,
and learn improved problem-solving and decision-making skills that will be
needed for future choices.
Problem - A career problem is defined
as a gap between an existing state
of affairs and an ideal state of affairs.
The gap may be between an existing state (knowing I need to make a
choice) and an ideal state (knowing I made a good choice). Common gaps in career problem solving
involve occupational choice, program of study choice, and employment choice.
Problem Solving - A series of thought
processes in which information about a problem is used to arrive at a course of
action to remove the gap between an existing and a desired state of
affairs. The transformation of
information in problem solving involves the recognition of a gap, analysis of
its causes, the formulation of alternative courses of action, and the selection
of one of these alternatives.
Decision Making - Includes the
problem-solving process, and also the cognitive, affective, and sometimes
psychomotor processes that transform a chosen solution into action. Moving from the problem solution to action
requires two additional components:
first, the derivation of a plan or strategy to implement the solution;
and second, the adoption of a risk-taking attitude and the making of a
commitment to carry the plan to completion.
The problem-solving components are thus a subset of the wider set of
decision-making
Complex and Ambiguous Cues
Career problems tend to be complex
with many factors such as the economy, the labor market, the availability of
educational and training opportunities, and family issues interacting with an
individual's personal values, interests, skills, and financial resources. Often an individual is overwhelmed with
cues, some distinct and some ambiguous, that a career problem exists that needs
solving. For example, a dual-career
couple who are trying to balance career and relationship issues during their
final year in college, are faced with numerous signals from friends, family, college
faculty and staff, and potential employers that they have career problems that
need to be solved.
Interdependent Courses of
Action
In career problem solving there is
rarely only one correct solution. There
are almost always several possible solutions to a career problem, with each
solution having distinct and often overlapping advantages and
disadvantages. For example, a college
student, who has the ultimate goal of establishing her own business, could
major in electrical engineering, management, or many other fields and still
achieve her goal. The routes to
achieving her goal may vary, but the ultimate goal could still be achieved.
Uncertainty of the Outcome
There is no guarantee that the
choice of a college, occupation, or job will ensure success and
satisfaction. A student who has chosen
to become an Emergency Medical Technician may have been admitted to a training
program and may have been encouraged by teachers, parents, and peers to make
this choice. There is no guarantee,
however, that he will graduate and find a job in his field or be satisfied
being an Emergency Medical Technician.
He needs to make the best informed choice possible and then commit
himself to exerting his best effort to maximize his chances of success.
Solutions Present New
Problems
A major career decision often
presents a new set of problems that must be solved to make the initial decision
effective. For example, the decision to
attend a college brings forth a new set of issues related to financing,
transportation, living arrangements, and the establishing of new peer
relationships. It is unlikely that all
of the subsequent problems can be known or anticipated. Thus, in order to be effective career
problem solvers and decision makers, we need to develop the capability for
effectively locating and processing relevant information.
Translating Theory to Practice
By applying a CIP paradigm to career
problem solving and decision making, we hoped to achieve the following four
goals related to improved client learning.
First, we wanted a paradigm that would be parsimonious and easy for
counselors and clients to comprehend and remember, yet robust enough to
appropriately explain the career problem solving and decision making
process. Second, we wanted the pyramid
to draw counselors' and clients' attention to essential client characteristics
and decision-making needs, such as the extent of their self and occupational
knowledge, as well as the nature of their decision-making process and
metacognitions. Third, we wanted to
provide a conceptual framework for teaching clients about the components and
process of career choice through explanation of the pyramid and CASVE
cycle. (Adaptations of the pyramid and
CASVE cycle used by clients are provided in Figure 3 and
Figure 4 at the end of this handout.) Fourth, we wanted to provide a standard for
monitoring and evaluating client progress in career problem solving and
decision making (Sampson, Peterson, Lenz, & Reardon, 1992).
Pyramid of
Information Processing Domains
The information processing domains
related to career decision-making and job placement can be conceptualized as a
pyramid (see Figure 1):
Knowledge Domain
Self Knowledge
What are my values,
interests, skills, and employment preferences?
What am I looking for in an
occupation or program of study?
What am I looking for in a
job?
Occupational Knowledge (Also includes knowledge of
programs of study and jobs)
What kind of job can I get
with my education and experience?
What is a typical day for a
person employed as a _________?
What are the educational and
training requirements for _____?
How can employers be
categorized?
Decision-Making
Skills Domain
Generic Information
Processing Skills (e.g., CASVE Cycle)
What are the steps in
choosing an occupation, program of study, or job that will meet my needs? How do I usually make important decisions?
Executive
Processing Domain
Metacognitions
Self-talk "I'll never be able to
make a good career choice."
Self-awareness "I'm getting very
scared about this."
Monitoring and control" I need help in making
this choice."
Problem
solving and decision-making can be conceptualized in terms of the CASVE cycle
(see Figure 2):
Communication
External demands
1) Event "I need
to choose a major by next semester."
2) Significant other
"My roommate said that I'll have problems if I don't make a decision
soon."
Internal affective,
behavioral, or physiological states
1) Emotions "I'm
scared about committing myself."
2) Avoidance behavior
"I'll get started next week."
3) Physiological
"I'm so upset about this, I can't eat."
Analysis
Enhance self-knowledge (obtained from personal
experience, structured exercises, assessment instruments, and computer-assisted
career guidance systems) by clarifying:
1) Values
2) Interests
3) Skills
4) Employment preferences
Enhance occupational
knowledge
by identifying important characteristics of occupations, programs of study, or
jobs.
1) Knowledge of individual
occupations, programs of study, or jobs (obtained from print material,
audio-visual material, CACG system, information interviews, shadowing, work
experience, academic courses, etc.).
2) Knowledge of the
structure of the world-of-work (occupations, programs of study, or jobs)
obtained from the Holland Hexagon, World-of-Work Map, etc.
Generic information
processing skills (capacity to apply the CASVE Model or similar approach)
Metacognitions
1) Self-talk (I need to make
a decision)
2) Self-awareness (I'm
uneasy about this whole process)
3) Control and monitoring
(What information do I need to obtain about myself and the situation to make a
decision?)
Synthesis
Elaboration
Identify the maximum number
of potential alternatives (occupations, programs of study, or jobs).
Crystallization
Narrow potential
occupations, programs of study, or jobs to a manageable number of options
(3-5).
Valuing
Judge the costs and benefits
of each alternative to:
1) Oneself
2) Significant others, e.g.
family
3) Cultural group
4) Community and/or society
at large
Prioritize alternatives
Make tentative primary and
secondary choices
Execution
Formulate a plan for
implementing a tentative choice:
1) Preparation program
(formal education/training experience)
2) Reality testing
(full-time, part-time, and/or volunteer work experience, as well as taking
courses or training)
3) Employment seeking (steps
to apply for and get a job)
Communication
Review external demands and
internal states
1) Has the gap been closed?
2) Have the negative
emotions and physiological states been replaced by feelings of serenity?
3) Am I taking action to
achieve my goal?
Peterson, G. W., Sampson, J. P., Jr., & Reardon, R. C. (1991). Career
development and services: A cognitive approach. Pacific Grove, CA:
Brooks/Cole.
Peterson, G. W., Sampson, J. P., Jr., Reardon, R. C., & Lenz, J. G.
(1996). Becoming career problem solvers and decision makers: A cognitive
information processing approach. In D. Brown & L. Brooks (Eds.), Career
choice and development (3rd. Ed.) (pp. 423-475). San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass.
Peterson, G. W., Sampson, J. P., Jr., Lenz, J. G., & Reardon, R. C.
(2002). Becoming career problem solvers and decision makers: A cognitive
information processing approach. In D. Brown (Ed.), Career choice and development (pp. 312-369) (4th. Ed.). San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Sampson, J. P., Jr., Lenz, J. G., Reardon, R. C., & Peterson, G. W.
(1999). A cognitive information processing approach to employment problem
solving and decision making. The Career Development Quarterly, 48, 3-18.
Sampson, J. P., Jr., Peterson, G. W., Lenz, J. G., & Reardon, R. C.
(1992). A cognitive approach to career services: Translating concepts into
practice. The Career Development Quarterly, 41, 67-74.
Sampson, J. P., Jr., Peterson, G. W., Reardon, R.
C., & Lenz, J. G. (2000). Using readiness assessment to improve career
services: A cognitive information processing approach. The Career
Development Quarterly, 49, 146-174.
Sampson, J. P., Jr., Reardon, R. C., Peterson, G.
W., & Lenz, J. G. (2004). Career counseling and services: A cognitive
information processing approach. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Pyramid of Information
Processing Domains
In Career Decision Making
Reprinted
from Career Development and Services: A
Cognitive Approach by G. W. Peterson, J. P. Sampson, and R. C. Reardon.
Copyright ©1991 Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, a
division of International Thomson Publishing, Inc. Used with permission.
The Five Stages of the CASVE
(Communication, Analysis, Synthesis, Valuing, Execution)
Cycle of Information Processing Skills Use in Career Decision-Making
Reprinted
from Career Development and Services: A
Cognitive Approach by G. W. Peterson, J. P. Sampson, and R. C. Reardon.
Copyright ©1991 Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, a
division of International Thomson Publishing, Inc. Used with permission.
The Five Stages of the CASVE
(Communication, Analysis, Synthesis, Valuing, Execution)
Cycle of Information Processing Skills Use in Career Decision-Making
Adapted
from: Sampson, J. P., Jr., Peterson, G. W., Lenz, J. G., & Reardon, R. C.
(1992). A cognitive approach to career services: Translating concepts into
practice. Career Development Quarterly,
41, 67-74. Copyright © National Career Development Association. Used with
permission.
The Five Stages of the CASVE
(Communication, Analysis, Synthesis, Valuing, Execution)
Cycle of Information Processing Skills Use in Career Decision-Making
Adapted from: Sampson, J. P., Jr., Peterson, G. W., Lenz, J. G., & Reardon, R. C. (1992). A cognitive approach to career services: Translating concepts into practice. Career Development Quarterly, 41, 67-74. Copyright © National Career Development Association. Used with permission.