Adolescent Cognitive Development and Egocentrism

Flashcards covering key vocabulary from the lecture on adolescent cognitive development, including moral reasoning, brain maturation, and forms of egocentrism.

Conventional Morality

A level of moral reasoning often focused on honoring the law and society, as well as harming and taking care of others.

Metacognitive Thinking

The process of thinking about thinking or thinking about thought, which leads adolescents to become introspective about their personal and intellectual styles.

Prefrontal Cortex

The part of the brain that is undergoing rewiring at the beginning of adolescence and is not fully mature until an individual is in their $\text{early to mid-twenties}$.

Adolescent Egocentrism

A tendency for teenagers to be more self-absorbed and self-focused than other age groups, viewing the world as if it is focused only on themselves.

Imaginary Audience

A form of egocentrism where adolescents believe that fictitious observers pay as much attention to their behavior and appearance as they do themselves.

Personal Fable

The view held by some adolescents that what happens to them is unique, exceptional, and shared by no one else, often leading to the belief that they are the exception to rules.