1.

What specific statements in the disclosures by the adolescent in this

video indicate that he has achieved formal operational thought?
The adolescent in the video stated that without thumbs the whole
world would change and I think the whole world would be different. This
indicates that this child is capable of hypothesizing about abstract
thoughts. He is able to understand that the no thumb scenario extends
further than him and has implications for society as a whole. This indicates
the ability to take abstract ideas into consideration and form a hypothesis
that goes beyond just him, and is able to apply it on a global level.

2. What kind of tasks are the middle children in this video incapable of
accomplishing given their cognitive abilities?
The middle children in this video, when asked what would happen if people
were to somehow lose their thumbs, were able to recognize what they
themselves would experience. For instance, one person said that we wouldnt
be able to write or play thumb wars, however the implications for a society
that loses the ability to write were not explored at all. Preadolescents do
not have the capabilities to hypothesize about abstract ideas, so their
thoughts are limited to what they would personally experience in the no
thumb scenario. They are not yet capable of hypothesizing about the
implications this scenario would have on a societal or global level.