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