Adolescent Development

Front 1

What are the 3 major physical changes of puberty?

Back 1

1.Adolescent growth spurt

2. Development of primary sex characteristics

3. Development of secondary sex characteristics (breasts, pubic hair, facial hair)

Front 2

What is the endocrine system?

Back 2

Produces, circulates, and regulates levels of hormones in the body

Front 3

What is the hormonal feedback loop?

Back 3

This system works like a thermostat, hormonal levels are set at a certain point which depends on the stage of development

Front 4

What is adrenarche?

Back 4

Hormone that is responsible for development of body odor, which is signaling the beginning of sexual maturation in others

Front 5

What is cortisol?

Back 5

Stress hormone, can cause brain cells to die

Front 6

Organization Role (of hormones)

Back 6

The process in which early exposure to hormones, especially prenatally, organizes the brain or other organs in anticipation of later changes in behavior or patterns of growth

Front 7

Leptin

Back 7

A protein produced by the fat cells that may play a role in the onset of puberty

Front 8

Activation Role (of hormones)

Back 8

The process through which changes in hormone levels, especially at puberty, stimulate the changes in the adolescent's behavior, appearance, or growth

Front 9

Epiphysis

Back 9

The closing of the ends of the bones, which terminates growth after the adolescent growth spurt has been completed

Front 10

Variations in the timing and tempo of puberty?

Back 10

-No specific average age at onset or duration of puberty

-Some ethnic differences in timing and rate of pubertal maturation

Front 11

Individual differences in pubertal maturation

Back 11

-Due to the combination of nature/nurture

-Nutrition and health play a role

Front 12

Familial influences on pubertal timing

Back 12

-In girls early pubertal maturation: presence of a stepfather, experiencing childhood abuse familial conflict, and growing up with out a father (pheromones)

Front 13

Group differences in pubertal maturation

Back 13

-this is more likely to reflect their environmental differences than genetic ones

Front 14

Secular trend?

Back 14

The tendency over the past two centuries for individuals to be larger in stature and to reach puberty earlier, primarily because of improvements in health and nutrition

-Age of when puberty begins has declined over time

Front 15

Changes in sleep patterns?

Melatonin?

Back 15

-delayed phase preference: the pattern that teens go to sleep late and wake up early

-melatonin: hormone used to help us fall asleep

Front 16

Impact of early maturation?

Back 16

-adolescents who matured early were more likely to be pseudomature (they wished they were older and wanting to hang out with older peers)

-early maturing boys were more popular and felt better about themselves

-boys more antisocial and likely to engage in deviant behaviors

-early maturing girls more likely to have lower self esteem and more attention from boys

Front 17

Basal metabolism rate

Back 17

minimal amount of energy one uses when resting

Front 18

Compared to children, adolescents are more sophisticated in their ability to:

Back 18

(1) think about possibilities

(2) think about abstract concepts

(3) think about thinking (metacognition)

(4) think in multiple dimensions

(5) see knowledge as relative

Front 19

Deductive reasoning?

Back 19

a type of logical reasoning in which one draws logically necessary conclusions from a general set of premises, or givens

Front 20

Thinking about abstract concepts

Back 20

ability to understand things such as puns, verbs, metaphors, and analogies

Front 21

metacognition

Back 21

process of thinking about thinking itself

Front 22

adolescent egocentrism

Back 22

periods of extreme self-absorption

Front 23

imaginary audience

Back 23

heightened self-consciousness of early adolescence that everyone is watching and evaluating one's behavior

Front 24

personal fable

Back 24

-their experiences are unique

-nothing bad can happen to them because they are special

Front 25

Adolescent relativism

Back 25

relativistic thinking phase where adolescents question the validity and absolutes

Front 26

Sternberg's Triarchic Theory of intelligence

Back 26

componential intelligence- abilities to acquire, store, and process info

experiential intelligence- abilities to use insight and creativity

contextual intelligence- ability to think practically

Front 27

Gardner's theory of multiple intelligence

Back 27

there is more to being smart than just book smart

7 types of intelligence: verbal, math, spatial, kinesthetic, self-reflective, interpersonal, and musical

Front 28

Vygotsky Theory

Back 28

believes it is important we understand the nature of the environment in which an adolescent develops in terms of its demands for intelligent behavior and its opportunities for learning

-Zone of proximal development: level of challenge but still in reach to develop advanced skills

-scaffolding: structure learning situation so that it is just within the reach

Front 29

Adolescent Risk Taking

the behavioral decision theory

Back 29

-identifying alternative choices

-identifying the consequences that might follow from each choice

-evaluating the costs and benefits of each possible consequence

-combining all this info according to some decision rule

Front 30

Sensorimotor period

Back 30

first stage of cognitive development, between birth and age 2

Front 31

Preoperational period

Back 31

second stage 2-5

Front 32

Concrete operations

Back 32

third stage, between 6 and early adolescence

Front 33

Formal operations

Back 33

fourth stage, between period of early adolescence through adulthood

Front 34

Synaptic pruning

Back 34

when unnecessary connections between neurons are eliminated, improving the efficiency of info processing

Front 35

prefrontal cortex

Back 35

associated with sophisticated thinking abilities (planning, thinking ahead)

Front 36

parietal cortex

Back 36

important for working memory

Front 37

temporal cortex

Back 37

important for social cognition

Front 38

limbic sysem

Back 38

plays an important role in processing of emotional experiences, social info, and reward/punishment

Front 39

dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

Back 39

important for planning ahead and controlling impulses

Front 40

ventromedial prefrontal cortex

Back 40

important for gut-level decision making

Front 41

response inhibition

Back 41

the suppression of a behavior that is inappropriate or no longer required

Front 42

functional connectivity

Back 42

extent to which multiple brain regions function at the same time, which improves during adolescence

Front 43

theory of mind

Back 43

ability to understand that others have beliefs, intentions, and knowledge that may be diff from one's own

Front 44

social redefinition

Back 44

process through which an individual's position or status is redefined by society

Front 45

age of majority

Back 45

the designated age at which an individual is recognized as an adult

Front 46

cohort

Back 46

group of individuals born during the same general historical era

Front 47

collective efficacy

Back 47

a community's social capital, derived from its members' common values and goals

Front 48

autonomy

Back 48

adult status leads to shifts into responsibility, independence, and freedom

Front 49

Influence of neighbors

Back 49

adolescents growing up in poor, urban communities are more likely to:

-be sexually active at an earlier age

-become involved in criminal activities

-achieve less in school