PSY 302 - Chapter 2
Five areas of improvement in adolescent thinking according to the information-processing view
1) attention 2) memory 3) speed 4) organization 5) metacognition
The five changes in cognition that occur during adolescence
1) counterfactual & hypothetical thinking 2) abstract thinking 3) metacognition 4) multi-dimensional thinking 5) adolescent relativism
Reasons that the attention span of an individual increases during adolescence?
1) myelination of axons 2) increased efficiency at ignoring irrelevant information 3) increased ability to divide attention more successfully between two tasks (multi-tasking)
Gluck and Bluck suggest that there are 3 qualities that make an event more memorable. These are?
1) the event is joyous 2) we can exert control in the event 3) we perceive the event to be highly influential in our life course
Piaget's four major periods of cognitive development
1) the sensori-motor stage 2) pre-operational stage 3) concrete operational stage 4) formal operational stage
Aspects of cognition and metacognition
Cognition 1) declarative 2) procedural 3) conditional Metacognition 1) planning 2) monitoring 3) evaluating
The reminiscence bump occurs during what ages?
- period of childhood amnesia - 5 to 10 years old - reminiscence bump - 15 to 25 years old - period of recency - 30-55 years old
What is multi-dimensional thinking?
a change in cognition for adolescents in that they gain the ability to think in multiple dimensions; they can consider a problem or situation from more than one point of view simultaneously - SARCASM
Define relativism
a change in cognition for adolescents that is observable; the idea that one's views and standards of the world depend upon the culture or historical time period, and are not absolute
According the Andrew Jarjour, what is myelin?
a structure in the nervous system; a fatty coating that surrounds neurons that allows for them to transmit signals far more rapidly (think of a train going from station to station NOT traveling on the highway)
Deductive reasoning can be defined as?
a type of reasoning in which a person can draw a conclusion from information that is provided
Define deductive reasoning
a type of reasoning in which a person can draw a conclusion from information that is provided
Define counterfactual thinking
a type of thinking in which a person is able to ask themselves what might have occurred if they had chosen an alternative option in any given situation
Define abstract reasoning
a way of thinking in which a person can comprehend concepts that are not in the physical world
A way of thinking in which a person can comprehend concepts that are not in the physical world is called?
abstract reasoning
Beth has become increasingly good at describing such concepts as friendship. She is able to use many examples, words, and ideas to express what the concept of friendship means to her. Beth's ability to describe friendship demonstrates her increased ability to use?
abstract reasoning
What do you call an electrical impulse that occurs when a neuron is sufficiently stimulated by other neurons?
action potential
Communication between two neurons begins when an electrical impulse called an "___ ___" travels along the axon of a "___ ___."
action potential, presynaptic neuron
How do neurons communicate?
by using an electrochemical process - "elcetro" refers to the electrical impulses that travel from one neuron to another via action potentials - "chemical" refers to the neurotransmitters that are released from one neuron and can influence another neuron
Sandy often considers what her life would be like now if she were born to a different set of parents. She asks herself how her future would change if her parents were different. This is an example of?
counterfactual thinking
A type of reasoning in which a person can draw a logical conclusion from a set of information that is provided is called?
deductive reasoning
Piaget's fourth stage of cognitive development is called?
formal operational thinking
Piaget's stage 4 - formal operational stage
from ages 11 and up;
Piaget's stage 2 - pre-operational stage
from ages 2 to 7;
Piaget's stage 3 - concrete operational stage
from ages 7 to 11;
Piaget's stage 1 - sensori-motor stage
from birth to 2 years;
Imagining that a group of people are constantly following and watching all of the person's behaviors is called?
imaginary audience
Define working memory
memory which is maintained and rehearsed in a short-term memory storage for current use
The molecules released from the vesicles are chemicals called "___."
neurotransmitters
Adolescent egocentrism can be defined as?
occurring when an adolescent has difficulty determining the difference between what others think of them, and their perception of what others think of them
Define adolescent egocentrism
occurs when an adolescent has difficulty determining the difference between what others think of them, and their perception of what others think of them; often view situations only from their perspective
Define imaginary audience
one imagines that a group of people are constantly following and watching all of the person's behaviors; adolescents may confuse what they are thinking with the thoughts of the created audience
Neurotransmitters drift across the synaptic space and bind to special proteins called "___" on the "___ ___."
receptors, postsynaptic neuron
According to the article, researchers first thought that young adults remembered more about their lives because they were using?
state-of-the-art biological equipment OR fresh and agile minds
Define metacognition
the ability to monitor and think about one's own thinking processes; reflecting on your own thinking process; what occurs when monitoring and managing our learning
Define social cognition
the ability to think about others and the relation between oneself and those with whom one interacts
Formal operational thinking can be defined as
the ability to use abstract reasoning and hypothetical thinking
Define formal operational thinking
the ability to use abstract reasoning and hypothetical thinking; able to think about complex moral issues and have a greater insight into themselves - leads to stronger sense of identity
Define cognition
the realm of thinking; what happens in your mind when you're engaged in learning
The tendency for people who are older to remember events from their adolescence more often than events from other time periods in their life, except for current events is called?
the reminiscence bump
Define reminiscence bump
the tendency for people who are older to remember events from their adolescence more often than events from other time periods in their life (except for current events)
Harry Potter and Voldemort are about to engage in battle. When an adolescent can imagine all the ways in which Harry can win the batter and at the same time imagine all the ways in which Voldemort can win the battle, the adolescent is demonstrating the ability to?
think in multiple dimensions
Define personal fable
thinking that your own thoughts, behaviors, and feelings are unique; nothing bad can ever happen to them because they are different from other people
What is the information-processing view?
this theory is based on the idea that humans process the information they receive, rather than merely respond to a stimulus
Define concrete operational thining
this type of thinking is characterized by organized, rational thought which focuses on real, solid, and specific explanations; likely used by adults when working in areas that are not familiar to them
According to Piaget, how does a person gain an understanding of the world?
through experiences that one has with the world
An alternative theory to explain the reminiscence bump suggests the "narrative perspective" which states that?
we organize events in ways that help us understand who we are OR the approach focuses not on the mechanics of memory but on its underlying motivational factors
Memory which is maintained and rehearsed in a short-term memory storage for current use is called?
working memory
