ADOLESCENCE

Puberty

is a brain-neuroendocrine process occurring primarily in early adolescence that provides stimulation for the rapid physical changes that take place during this period of devel opment

menarche

A girl’s first menstruation.

hormones

Powerful chemical substances secreted by the endocrine glands and carried through the body by the bloodstream.

Testosterone

is a hormone associated in boys with genital development, increased height, and deepening of the voice.

Estradiol

is a type of estrogen that in girls is associated with breast,

uterine, and skeletal development

18 to 25

the prefrontal cortex doesn’t finish maturing until the emerging adult years, approximately _____ years of age, or later

Corpus Callosum

thickens in adolescence, improves adolescents’ ability to process information

limbic system

where rewards are experienced, matures much earlier than the prefrontal cortex and is almost completely developed in early adolescence

amygdala

The region of the brain that is the seat of emotions.

Anorexia nervosa

is an eating disorder that involves the relentless pursuit of thinness through starvation.

amenorrhea

(lack of menstruation)

Bulimia nervosa

is an eating disorder in which the individual consis tently follows a binge-and-purge pattern.

hypothetical- deductive reasoning

hypothetical- deductive reasoning, which involves creating a hypothesis and deducing its implications, steps that provide ways to test the hypothesis.

adolescent egocentrism

The heightened self consciousness of adolescents.

imaginary audience

Adolescents’ belief that others are as interested in them as they themselves are, as well as attention-getting behavior motivated by a desire to be noticed, visible, and “on stage.”

personal fable

is the part of adolescent egocentrism involving a sense of uniqueness and invincibility (or invulnerability).Adolescents’ sense of personal uniqueness makes them believe that no one can under stand how they really feel

cognitive control

Effective control of thinking in a number of areas, including controlling attention, reducing interfering thoughts, and being cognitively flexible.

Cognitive flexibility

involves being aware that options and alternatives are available and adapting to the situation

fuzzy-trace theory dual-process model

which states that decision making is influenced by two cognitive systems—“verbatim” analytical (literal and precise) and gist-based intuitional (simple bottom line meaning)—which operate in parallel.

top-dog phenomenon

moving from being the oldest, biggest, and most powerful students in the elementary school to being the youngest, smallest, and least powerful students in the middle or junior high school.

Service learning

is a form of education that promotes social responsibility and service to the community.

Narcissism

refers to a self-centered and self-concerned approach toward others.

Crisis

is defined as a period of identity development during which the individual is exploring alternatives

Commitment

is personal investment in identity

Identity diffusion

is the status of individuals who have not yet experienced a crisis or made any commitments. Not only are they undecided about occupational and ideologi cal choices, they are also likely to show little interest in such matters.

Identity foreclosure

is the status of individuals who have made a commitment but not experienced a crisis. This occurs most often when parents hand down commitments to their adolescents, usually in an authoritarian way, before adolescents have had a chance to explore different approaches, ideologies, and vocations on their own.

Identity moratorium

is the status of individuals who are in the midst of a crisis but whose commitments are either absent or are only vaguely defined.

Identity achievement

is the status of individuals who have undergone a crisis and made a commitment

Ethnic identity

is an enduring aspect of the self that includes a sense of membership in an ethnic group, along with the attitudes and feelings related to that membership