Adolescence: Cognitive and Brain Development (Vocabulary)

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from adolescence brain development and cognitive psychology.

Neuron

The basic nerve cell; the core building block of the brain and nervous system.

Dendrites

Branchlike extensions of a neuron that receive signals from other neurons.

Axon

Long fiber that transmits electrical impulses away from the neuron's cell body.

Axon hillock

Region at the base of the axon where signals are integrated and action potentials begin.

Soma (cell body)

Central part of the neuron that integrates signals and contains the nucleus.

Nucleus

The cell’s command center containing genetic material.

Synapse

Gap between neurons where chemical signals cross via neurotransmitters.

Neurotransmitter

Chemical messengers released into the synapse to transmit signals (e.g., acetylcholine, dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine).

Acetylcholine

A neurotransmitter involved in motor activation and various brain functions.

Dopamine

A neurotransmitter linked to reward, motivation, and risk-taking; part of the limbic system.

Serotonin

A neurotransmitter involved in mood, appetite, and sleep."

Norepinephrine

A neurotransmitter involved in arousal and alertness; part of the sympathetic nervous system.

Myelin

Fatty insulation around axons that speeds electrical signal transmission.

Nodes of Ranvier

Gaps in the myelin sheath that facilitate rapid nerve conduction.

Cerebral cortex (neocortex)

Outer, wrinkled brain layer responsible for higher-order thinking and processing; contains lobes.

Lobes

Frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes with specialized functions.

Left hemisphere

One half of the brain; often linked to language and analytical processing.

Right hemisphere

Other half of the brain; often linked to spatial and holistic processing.

Synaptic pruning

Elimination of underused synapses to increase neural efficiency.

Myelination

Process of forming a myelin sheath around axons, increasing signal speed; continues into adolescence and beyond in some regions.

Limbic system

Emotion and motivation center of the brain, including structures like the amygdala and hippocampus.

Amygdala

Limbic structure involved in emotion processing and threat assessment.

Hippocampus

Limbic structure involved in memory formation and retrieval.

Prefrontal cortex

Front part of the brain responsible for planning, decision making, and impulse control.

Hypothalamus

Regulates hormones and basic drives; connects to the pituitary.

Pituitary gland

Master endocrine gland that releases hormones affecting other glands and body functions.

Piaget assimilation

Incorporating new information into existing schemas.

Piaget accommodation

Modifying existing schemas or creating new ones in response to new information.

Sensorimotor stage

Piaget stage (0-2): coordinating senses with motor actions; object permanence develops.

Preoperational stage

Piaget stage (2-7): symbolic thinking, language; egocentrism; lack of conservation.

Concrete Operational stage

Piaget stage (7-11): logical thinking about concrete objects; conservation develops.

Formal Operational stage

Piaget stage (11+): abstract, hypothetical, and deductive reasoning.

Transitivity

Logical rule: if A > B and B > C, then A > C.

Hypothetico-deductive reasoning

Reasoning from general hypotheses to specific conclusions; testing hypotheses.

Inductive reasoning

Reasoning from particular cases to a general conclusion; probabilistic.

Information processing model

Cognitive theory that treats the mind like a computer with limited processing capacity.

Attention

Ability to focus on relevant information; includes selective and divided attention.

Selective attention

Focusing on a specific task or stimulus while ignoring others.

Divided attention

Attending to more than one task at once; efficiency improves with development.

Processing speed

How quickly cognitive operations are performed; increases with development.

Working memory

Active memory system that holds and manipulates information; capacity grows with age.

Fluid intelligence

Ability to reason and solve novel problems; tends to peak in adolescence.

Crystallized intelligence

Accumulated knowledge and skills; increases with education and experience.

IQ

Intelligence quotient; standardized score measuring relative performance on an intelligence test.

Deviation IQ

IQ score based on comparing a person’s performance with age-matched peers.

Normal distribution

Bell-curve distribution of IQ scores with a mean of 100.

Cultural bias

IQ tests may reflect the knowledge and experiences of certain groups, disadvantaging others.

Genetic factors

Hereditary influences that contribute to variations in intelligence.

Environmental factors

Non-genetic influences such as education, family, and neighborhood.

Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory

Three intelligences: practical, creative, analytic.

Practical intelligence

Ability to adapt to real-world contexts and solve everyday problems.

Creative intelligence

Ability to generate novel and useful solutions.

Analytic intelligence

Analytical reasoning and problem-solving abilities.

Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Idea that intelligence comprises multiple independent domains.

Metacognition

Thinking about one's own thinking; awareness of cognitive processes.

Self-regulated learning

Autonomous control over learning strategies and goals.

Personal epistemology

Beliefs about knowledge and how knowledge is constructed and validated.

Objectivism (knowledge is objective)

Belief that knowledge is certain and universally true.

Relativism (knowledge is contextual)

Belief that knowledge depends on context and perspective.

Rationalism

Belief in using reason to evaluate different viewpoints and reach conclusions.

Critical thinking

Purposeful, reflective thinking that evaluates evidence and arguments.

Conceptual flexibility

Ability to connect and switch between different concepts.

Reflective thinking

Evaluation and monitoring of one’s own thinking and conclusions.

Cognitive self-regulation

Regulating cognitive strategies and progress toward goals.

Imaginary audience

Belief that others are constantly watching and evaluating one's behavior.

Personal fable

Belief in one's own uniqueness and invulnerability.

Decentration

Ability to view situations from others' perspectives, not just one's own.

Zone of Proximal Development

The range between what a learner can do alone and what they can do with guidance.

Scaffolding

Guided support from a more capable other that is gradually removed as competence increases.

Executive control structures

Higher-order cognitive processes that guide problem solving, planning, and monitoring.