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autobiographical memory
the recall of personal meaningful events
early memories stabilize sometime during early adolescence
behavioral decision theory
an approach to understanding adolescent risk taking, in which behaviors are seen as the outcome of systematic decision-making processes
identifying alternative choices
identifying possible consequences of each choice
evaluating costs and benefits of each consequence
assessing likelihood of each consequence
combining all this information to make a decision
cognitive-developmental view
a perspective based on the work of Piaget that takes a qualitative stage-theory approach
includes four stages
sensorimotor period
preoperational period
concrete operations
formal operations
concrete operations
the third stage of cognitive development, spanning the period roughly between age 6 and early adolescence -children learn to use mental operations but are limited to applying them to concrete, observational situations rather than hypothetical situations
divided attention
the process of paying attention to two or more different things at the same time
executive function
conscious control of thoughts, emotions, and actions to accomplish goals or solve problems
formal operations
the fourth stage of cognitive development, spanning the period from early adolescence through adulthood -abstract, logical thinking
functional connectivity
the extent to which the neural activity in separate brain areas is correlated with each other
imaginary audience
the belief, often brought on by the heightened self-consciousness of early adolescence, that everyone is watching and evaluating one's behavior
information processing perspective
a perspective on cognition that derives from the study of artificial intelligence and attempts to explain cognitive development in terms of specific components of the thinking process
limbic system
an area of the brain that plays an important role in the processing of emotional experience, social information, and reward and punishment
long-term memory
the relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. Includes knowledge, skills, and experiences
metacognition
the process of thinking about thinking itself -monitoring one's own cognitive activity during thinking -being able to assess how well one is learning new material -increased introspection: thinking about own emotions -increased self-consciousness: thinking about how others thing about us
myelination
the process through which the brain circuits are insulated with myelin, which improves the efficiency of information processing -continues well into adulthood
neurotransmitters
chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons
personal fable
adolescents' belief that they are unique and therefore not subject to the rules that govern other people's behavior -can cause the dangerous belief that nothing bad can happen to them because they are special
plasticity
the capacity of the brain to change in response to experience
enable us to learn and strengthen our abilities
bigger impact of drug use/ environmental toxins/ trauma
positive risk-taking
risk taking that promotes healthy psychological development
prefrontal cortex
the region of the brain most important for sophisticated thinking abilities such as planning, thinking ahead, weighing risks and rewards, and controlling impulses
preoperational period
the second stage of cognitive development, spanning roughly ages 2-5
child becomes capable of representing the world symbolically (language, play) but still limited in ability to use mental operations
reminiscence bump
the fact that experiences from adolescence are generally recalled more than experiences from other stages of life
possibly reflecting better encoding or more emotion
response inhibition
the suppression of a behavior that is inappropriate or no longer required
selective attention
the process by which we focus on one thing while tuning out another
sensation seeking
the pursuit of experiences that are novel or exciting
sensorimotor period
the first stage of cognitive development, spanning the period between birth and age 2
learning how to coordinate the activities of the senses with motor activities
social cognition
the aspect of cognition that concerns thinking about other people, about interpersonal relations, and about social institutions
social conventions
the norms that govern everyday behavior in social situations
conventions begin to be seen as arbitrary
willingness to question their parents' rules/ teachers' authority
synapse
the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron
synaptic pruning
the process through which unnecessary connections between neurons are eliminated, improving the efficiency of information processing
theory of mind
the ability to understand that other people have beliefs, intentions, and knowledge that may be difference from one's own
leads to improvement in communication
may also lead to rebellion or lying
working memory
a newer understanding of short-term memory that focuses on conscious, active processing of incoming auditory and visual-spatial information, and of information retrieved from long-term memory
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