Human Development Textbook Definitions Exam 3

Self-concept

The set of attributes, abilities, and characteristics that a person describes themselves with

Self-esteem

The emotional evaluation of one’s own worth

Identity

A coherent organized sense of self that includes values, attitudes, and goals to which one is committed

Identity Achievement

The identity state in which, after undergoing a period of exploration, a person commits to self-chosen values and goals

Psychosocial Moratorium

In Erikson’s theory, a period in which the individual is free to explore identity possibilities before committing to an identity

Identity Statuses

The degree to which individuals have explored possible selves and whether they have committed to specific beliefs and goals, assessed by administering interview and survey measures, and categorized into four identity statuses

Identity Exploration

The degree to which they have explore possible selves

Commitment

Whether they have committed to specific beliefs and goals

Exploration Present + Commitment Present

Identity achievement status

Exploration Present + Commitment Absent

Moratorium status

Exploration Absent + Commitment Present

Identity foreclosure status

Identity Foreclosure Status

Commitment to an identity without having explored multiple possibilities. Associated with avoiding reflection or exploration of identity alternatives, rigidity, and a lack of openness to new information and ideas, especially if they contradict their position

Identity Diffusion Status

Has neither committed to an identity nor explored alternatives. Associated with avoidance, tending to not solve personal problems in favor of letting issues decide themselves, academic difficulties, apathy, alcohol and substance use

Exploration Absent + Commitment Absent

Identity Diffusion Status

Ethnic-racial Identity

A sense of membership in an ethnic or racial group and viewing the attitudes and practices associated with that group as an enduring part of the self

Gender Intensification

The hypothesis that young adolescents become sensitive to gender stereotypes and are increasingly likely to adhere to gender stereotypes

Social Gender Transition

A process by which transgender individuals adopt social change to match their gender identity, such as by changing pronouns and appearance

Biological Gender Transition

A medical process by which transgender individuals can undergo body changes to match their gender identity. Typically involves body changes that are induced by hormone therapy and permanent changes to the external genitals, accomplished by means of gender reassignment surgery.

Postconventional Moral Reasoning

Kohlberg’s third level of moral reasoning emphasizing autonomous decision making based on principles such as valuing human dignity

Ideal Self

When adolescents identify a self that they aspire to be

Moratorium Status

Active exploration of identity alternatives without having committed to an identity. Associated with openness to experience, an active problem-solving style, anxiety and discomfort, and experimentation with alcohol or substance use

Identity Achievement Status

Commitment to an identity after exploring multiple possibilities. Associated with an active problem-solving style, high self-esteem, feelings of control, high moral reasoning, and positive views of work and school

Autonomy

The ability to make and carry out decisions independently

Cliques

A tightly knit peer group of about three to eight close friends who share similarities such as demographics and attitudes

Crowds

A large group of adolescents grouped based on perceived shared characteristics, interests, and reputation

Dating Violence

The actual or threatened physical or sexual violence or psychosocial abuse directed toward a current or former boyfriend, girlfriend, or dating partner

Sexual Orientation

A term that refers to whether someone is sexually attracted to others of the same sex, opposite sex, or both

Human Papillomavirus (HPV)

The most common type of sexually transmitted infection diagnosed in people of all ages; comprises several types, some of which can cause cancer in different areas of the body

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

Infection most commonly passed through sexual activity and intravenous drug use, which causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)

Eating Disorders

Mental disorders that are characterized by extreme over- or undercontrol of eating and behaviors intended to control weight such as compulsive exercise, dieting, or purging

Bulimia Nervosa

An eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating and subsequent purging, usually by induced vomiting and the use of laxatives

Binge Eating Disorder

An eating disorder characterized by binges, consuming an abnormally large amount of food (thousands of calories) in a single sitting coupled with a feeling of being out of control

Anorexia Nervosa

An eating disorder characterized by compulsive starvation and extreme weight loss and accompanied by a distorted body image

Adolescent Growth Spurt

The first outward sign of puberty, it refers to a rapid gain in height and weight that generally begins in girls at about age 10 and in boys about age 12

Secondary Sex Characteristics

Physical traits that indicate sexual maturity but are not directly related to fertility, such as breast development and the growth of body hair

Primary Sex Characteristics

The reproductive organs; in females, this includes the ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, and vagina, and in males, this includes the penis, testes, scrotum, seminal vesicles, and prostate gland

Menarche

A girl’s first menstrual period

Menstruation

The monthly shedding of the uterine lining, which has thickened in preparation for the implantation of a fertilized egg

Testes

The glands that produce sperm

Semen

The fluid that contains sperm

Spermarche

A boy’s first ejaculation of sperm

Secular Trend

The change from one generation to the next in an aspect of development, such as body size or in the timing of puberty

Delayed Phase Preference

Change in pubertal hormone levels that cause adolescents’ sleep patterns to shift such that they tend to remain awake late at night and groggy early in the morning

Melatonin

A hormone that influences sleep

Gray Matter

Unmyelinated neurons

White Matter

Myelinated brain tissue

Limbic System

A collection of brain structures responsible for emotion

Amygdala

A brain structure that is part of the limbic system and plays a role in emotion, especially fear and anger

Dual Systems Model

A model of the brain consisting of two systems, one emotional and the other rational, that develop on different timeframes, accounting for typical adolescent behavior

Formal Operational Reasoning

Piaget’s fourth stage of cognitive development, characterized by abstract, logical, and systematic thinking

Hypothetical-deductive Reasoning

The ability to consider propositions and probabilities, generate and systematically test hypotheses, and draw conclusions

Selective Attention

The ability to focus on relevant stimuli and ignore others

Divided Attention

Attending to two stimuli at once

Response Inhibition

Part of executive function, the ability to control and stop responding to a stimulus

Social Perspective Taking

The ability to understand different viewpoints

Adolescent Egocentrism

A characteristic of adolescents’ thinking in which they have difficulty separating others’ perspective from their own; composed of the imaginary audience and personal fable

Imaginary Audience

A manifestation of adolescent egocentrism in which they assume that they are the focus of others’ attention

Personal Fable

A manifestation of adolescent egocentrism in which adolescents believe their thoughts, feelings, and experiences are more special and unique than anyone else’s, as well as the sense that they are invulnerable

Brain Development

- increase in cortical volume and white matter

- decrease in gray matter

- rapid limbic system development in early adolescence

- prefrontal cortex matures slowly throughout adolescence into young adulthood

- shifts levels of neurotransmitters in early adolescence

Cognitive Development

- advances in attention, memory, processing speed, and strategy repertoire and use

- abstract thinking

- metacognition and metamemory

- executive functioning

Adolescent Decision-Making and Behavior

- difficulty reading other people and identifying their emotions

- emotionally charged responses before reasoning

- advances in planning abilities

- increasingly able to identify and weigh options and consider multiple sources of information

- impulsivity and novelty seeking, but overtime, improvements in response inhibition

Stage-environment Fit

Refers to the match between the characteristics and supports of the school environment and the developing person’s needs and capacities; influences well-being