Adolescence: Social, Emotional, and Moral Development

Vocabulary flashcards covering the biological, cognitive, neural, emotional, and social development of adolescence based on Adams & Berzonsky (Eds.) (2003) Blackwell Handbook of Adolescence.

Early Adolescence

The developmental stage spanning ages $10\text{--}13\text{ years}$.

Middle Adolescence

The developmental stage spanning ages $14\text{--}17\text{ years}$.

Late Adolescence

The developmental stage spanning ages $18\text{--}24\text{ years}$.

GH/IGF-I Axis

The pituitary gland hormonal axis (growth hormone/insulin-like growth factors-I) whose dramatic activation during puberty leads to significant weight gain, changes in body composition, relative proportions of water, muscle mass, distribution of body fat, and bone mineral content.

Pituitary Gonadotropins (LH and FSH)

Luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) secreted by the pituitary gland, whose increased production stimulates the development of secondary sex characteristics.

Adrenal Androgens

Hormones produced by the adrenal gland (including testosterone and precursors of estrogen) that drive the development of pubic and axillary hair, body odor, oily skin, and acne during puberty.

Leptin

A hormone acting between body cells and the hypothalamus that regulates energy expenditure and nutrition, initiates puberty, and supports normal menstrual function, fertility, and maintenance of pregnancy.

Prefrontal Cortex (PFC)

A brain area undergoing continued maturation in adolescence responsible for self-control, decision-making and planning, inhibition of inappropriate actions, problem-solving, multitasking, self-awareness, and social interaction.

Amygdala vs. PFC in Emotion Processing

A neuroimaging finding showing that adolescents process emotions and emotion regulation primarily using the amygdala, whereas adults process them primarily using the prefrontal cortex.

Adolescent PFC Activity Trajectory

A developmental pattern identified in neuroimaging where the prefrontal cortex 'lights up' at ages $10\text{--}13$, is 'dark' at ages $14\text{--}17$ (linked to risk-taking and emotion regulation difficulties), and 'lights up' again at ages $18\text{--}24$.

Formal Operations

A cognitive developmental stage involving the ability to understand abstractions and symbolic logic, deduce unseen events, identify commonalities beneath superficial differences, recognize multiple causes in complex event sequences, and formulate hypothetical possibilities.

Hypothetical Reasoning

The cognitive ability to reason about counterfactual or abstract scenarios (e.g., 'What if people did not have thumbs?') rather than remaining bound to immediate, concrete reality.

Metacognition

The capacity to reflect on one's own and others' thoughts, recognize the complex and multiply determined nature of emotions, hold simultaneous representations of multiple perspectives, and make sense of ambiguous or incomplete data.

Experience Sampling Method (ESM)

A research methodology utilized by Larson and colleagues to capture real-time emotional states, demonstrating a downward trend in mood, increased mood instability, and lower levels of perceived control, activity, and alertness among adolescents compared to adults.

Submissive Negative Emotions

An affective profile common in adolescent girls, particularly in interpersonal contexts, marked by the salience of shame, guilt, sadness, shyness, and self-directed hostility.

Dominant Negative Emotions

An affective profile more prevalent in adolescent boys, marked by increases in feelings of contempt and anger that are related more to activities and achievement than to interpersonal life.

Objectification Theory

A sociocultural perspective explaining that Western girls are socialized to be constantly cognizant of whether their physical appearance and bodies please others, increasing their vulnerability to body shaming and shame.

Content Elaborated Emotion

A developmental process where a specific emotion becomes associated with numerous types of life events, serving as a unifying source of organization and meaning across disparate experiences.

Emotionally Elaborated Event

A developmental process where a single theme or event becomes associated with many different emotions, contributing to emotional meaning and identity integration.

Emotional Dissemblance

The skill of separating internal emotional experience from external emotional expression, which becomes increasingly important for managing interpersonal relationships despite immature mastery of adult emotional signaling norms.

Abstract Empathy

An advanced form of empathic responding developing from age $7\text{ to }13$ and beyond, in which formal reasoning expands empathy from personal encounters to broad groups of people, other organisms, or global causes (e.g., social demonstrations).

Prosocial Behavior (Adolescence)

Actions such as volunteering that become prominent during adolescence, often driven by self-interest, peer pressure, pursuit of prosocial goals, and emotional rewards rather than pure altruism.

Emotional Stabilization

The successful resolution of the adolescent transition, defined by endocrine adaptation, reorganization of the emotion regulation system, adaptive coping via symbolic reframing, and a stable identity that distinguishes feelings from facts.