Adolescent Development Exam 1
Discuss four methods of assessing adolescent pubertal development
Hormonal concentrations, sexual maturation scale, observer assessment and pubertal development measure
Thinking about possibilities
ability to reason systematically in terms of what is possible when learning math and science
long-term memory
ability to recall something from a long time ago
limbic system
area of the brain that plays an important role in the processing of emotional experience, social information, and reward and punishment
social cognition
aspect of cognition that concerns thinking about other people, about interpersonal relations, and about social institutions
working memory
aspect of memory in which information is held for a short time while a problem is being solved
generation gap
belief that adolescents and adults hold different values and attitudes
personal fable
belief that he or she is unique and therefore not subject to the rules that govern other people's behavior
Discuss the Piagetian perspective as it relates to the development of adolescent cognition
believes that cognitive development proceeds through a fixed sequence of qualitatively distinct stages
What explains the presence of the secular trend
better nutrition, better sanitation, and control of infectious diseases
Discuss the factors, both biological and environmental, that influence individual variability in pubertal growth and development
biological, inherited, environmental, nutrition and health
myelination
brain circuits are insulated with myelin, which improves the efficiency of information processing
Describe the chief physical manifestations of puberty
breast development in girls, facial hair in boys, and dramatic increase in height for both sexes, and the ability to conceive children
Thinking in multiple dimensions
can see things through more complicated lenses, and can give more complicated answers
Discuss limitations with the Piagetian theory that have emerged from newer research on cognitive development
cognitive development doesn't proceed in a stage like fashion, and formal operations isn't the stage of adolescence
secular trend
decline in the average age at menarche over time
age of majority
designated age at which an individual is recognized as an adult
uninvolved parents
do whatever is necessary to minimize the time and energy they must devote to interacting with their child
Describe the major changes in adolescent sleep patterns and how these changes relate to adolescent behavior
during puberty, melatonin is produced later in the day, individuals become able to stay up later, and since they wake up earlier, their alertness is lower in the morning
Discuss, in detail, the advantages and disadvantages associated with early and late maturation for boys and girls
early maturing boys feel better about themselves and are more popular, but have elevated rates of depression and anxiety, are more likely to get involved in antisocial activites, more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol. Late maturing boys have higher ratings of intellectual curiosity, exploratory behavior and social initiative. Early maturing girls have more emotional difficulties, higher emotional arousal but are more popular.
clarity
explicitness
sensorimotor period
first stage of development, birth to age 2
formal operations
fourth stage, early adolescence through adulthood
Describe average duration of puberty for boys and girls
girls, year and a half to 6 years, boys, 2 to 5 years
Describe asynchronicity of growth
growth in adolescence is more the reverse of how we grew as toddlers, hands and feet grow first, then arms and legs, then torso
List the normal sequence of events in puberty for females
growth of breasts, growth of puic hiar, body growth, menarche, underarm hair, oil and sweat producing glands
List the normal sequence of events in puberty for males
growth of testes, growth of pubic hair, body growth, growth of penis, change in voice, facial and underarm hair, oil and sweat producing glands, acne
internal working model
implicit model of interpersonal relationships that an individual employs throughout life, believed to be shaped by early attachment experiences
prefrontal cortex
important for sophisticated thinking abilities, such as planning and thinking ahead
child protectionists
individuals who argued that adolescents needed to be kept out of the labor force to protect them from the hazards of the workplace
Adolescent Relativism
instead of seeing things in black and white, you see things as relative
Describe the historical changes that account for the emergence of adolescence as a unique developmental period
it used to be that adolescence was marked from puberty to marriage, but puberty is starting sooner, and marriage is happening later
deductive reasoning
logical reasoning in which one draws logically necessary conclusions from a general set of premises, or givens
Describe how physical maturation affects the adolescent's self-image, mood, and relationships with parents
lower self-esteem, increased moodiness, and increases conflict and distance with parents
secondary sex characteristics
manifestations of sexual maturity at puberty, including the development of breasts, the growth of facial and body hair, and changes in voice
Thinking about thinking
monitoring your own cognitive activity during the thinking process
metacognition
monitoring your own cognitive activity during the thinking process
neurons
nerve cells:
social conventions
norms that govern everyday behavior in social situations
indulgent parents
parents who are characterized by responsiveness but low demandingness, and who are mainly concerned with the child's happiness
authoritarian parents
parents who use punitive, absolute, and forceful discipline, and who place a premium on obedience and conformity
authoritative parents
parents who use warmth, firm control, and rational, issue-oriented discipline, in which emphasis is placed on the development of self-direction
delayed phase preference
pattern of sleep characterized by later sleep and wake times, which usually emerges during puberty
divided attention
paying attention to two or more stimuli at the same time
puberty
period during which and individual becomes capable of sexual reproduction
Describe the effects of poverty and the role of race/ethnicity on the transition to adulthood
poverty is associated with failure in school, unemployment, delinquency, and teen pregnancy, all of which contribute to transitional difficulties
selective attention
process by which we focus on one stimulus while tuning out another
social redefinition
process though which an individuals position or status is redefined by society
synaptic pruning
process through which unnecessary connections between neurons are eliminated, improving the efficiency of information processing
Describe differences in the average age of pubertal onset for girls versus boys
puberty starts earlier for girls and lasts longer, for boys it starts later and ends earlier
Sensation seeking
pursuit of experiences that are novel or exciting
parental demandingness
refers to the degree to which the parent expects and insists on mature, responsible behavior from the child
parental responsiveness
refers to the degree to which the parent responds to the child's needs in an accepting, supportive manner
preoperational period
second stage of development, ages 2-5
adolescent growth spurt
simultaneous release of growth hormones, thyroid hormones, and androgens stimulates rapid acceleration in height and weight
continuity
smoothness
neurotransmitters
specialized chemicals that carry electrical impulses between neurons
Describe changes in brain structure and brain function that occur during adolescence. How are these changes related to risk-taking
the prefrontal cortex is pruned dramatically which is most important for weighing risks and rewards
peak height velocity
the time at which the adolescent is growing most rapidly
inventionists
theorists who argue that the period of adolescence is mainly a social invention
Describe research to support or refute the presence of a generation gap during the period of adolescence
there isn't much a gap between importance of hard work, educational and occupational ambitions, but there is in matters of personal taste
Thinking about abstract concepts
think in more advanced ways about numerous different things
concrete operations
third stage of development spanning the period of age 6 and adolescence
menarche
time of first menstruation
Describe the core developmental issues affecting parents when their children are passing through adolescence
when their child is going through a period of rapid physical growth and physical maturation, parents are being to feel increased concern about their own bodies, physical attractiveness, and about their sexual appeal
Tanner stages
widely used system that describes the five stages of pubertal development
imaginary audience
you imagine that your behavior is the focus of everyone else's attention