Finale MCA Study Guide

Autonomy

A sense of oneself as a separate, self- governing individual.

Emotional component of autonomy

Relying more on oneself and less on parent.

Behavioral component of autonomy

Making decisions by carefully weighing one’s own judgment and the suggestions of others to arrive at a personally satisfying, well-reasoned course of action.

Effective Parenting

A balance between connection and separation.

Acculturative stress

Associated with declining self-esteem and rising anxiety, depression, alcohol abuse, and delinquency

Hispanic value of familism

By prioritizing close family bonds, it fosters harmonious sibling relationships.

Co-ruminate

Repeatedly mull over upsetting details of one friend’s problems and associated negative emotions.

Kohlberg’s theory

Emphasizes that it is the way an individual reasons about moral dilemmas, not the content of response that determines moral maturity.

Highest stages of Kohlberg's theory

Moral reasoning and content come together in a coherent ethical system.

Preconventional Level

Morality is externally controlled and dominated by rules of authority figures.

Stage 1 – Obedience & Punishment Orientation

Fear of authority and avoidance of punishment.

Stage 2 – Instrumental Purpose Orientation

Awareness of different perspectives in moral dilemmas and right behavior based on self-interest and transactional exchanges.

Conventional Level

Conformity to social rules and maintaining the current social system of good human relationship and societal order.

Stage 3 – “Good person” orientation/ Morality of interpersonal cooperation

Social harmony in the context of close personal ties, affection and approval of friends, ideal reciprocity – concerned for the welfare of others as much as themselves.

Stage 4 – Social order maintaining orientation

Considers societal laws; moral choices no longer depend on close social ties; laws should be obeyed to maintain social order and cooperation among people.

Postconventional or Principled Level

Morality is based on abstract principles and values.

Stage 5 – Social contract orientation

Alternative to their own ideas of social order; participation in a system that brings good for people

Stage 6 – Universal ethical principles orientation

Self-chosen ethical principles of conscience that are valid for all humanity, regardless of law and social agreement; each person has worth and dignity.

Challenges to Kohlberg’s Theory

The most significant challenge to Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development comes from researchers who suggest that it does not account for the moral challenges of everyday life.

Pragmatic approach to morality

Focuses on everyday moral judgements, rather than efforts to seek just solutions.

Changes in Self-Concept

The shift in self-concept from middle childhood to adolescence is based on a life perspective that moves from an “inward view” to a view that is based on social relationships and context.

Middle Childhood Self-Concept

Focuses on personality traits (inward view).

Adolescent Self-Concept

Perspective of social roles and places, like home, school, sports, peer groups, etc.

Erik Erikson

First to recognize identity as a significant personality attainment.

Key Psychosocial Criteria for Healthy Self-Identity

Exploration and Commitment

Four Identity Statuses

Identity Achievement, Identity Moratorium, Identity Foreclosure, Identity Diffusion

Identity Achievement and Identity Moratorium

Healthy routes to mature self-definition.

Long-term Identity Foreclosure and Identity Diffusion

Maladaptive.

Ruminative

Excessively concerned with making the right choice can lead to psychological distress and poor long-term adjustment.

“Foreclosed identity” Teenagers

Have close bonds with parents but may not have healthy separation.

Teenagers Who Have “Diffused Identity”

Lacking in parental support and emotional warmth at home.

FANTASY PERIOD

This period of selecting a vocation occurs in Early & Middle Childhood.

TENTATIVE PERIOD

This period of selecting a vocation occurs in Middle/Junior High School.

REALISTIC PERIOD

This period of selecting a vocation occurs in Late Adolescence & Young Adulthood.

Hypothetico-Deductive Reasoning

Involves forming a hypothesis, deducing logical inferences, and systematically isolating/combining variables to confirm predictions, moving from possibility to reality.

Propositional Thought

The ability to evaluate the logic of verbal statements (propositions) without needing real-world circumstances as reference.

Working Memory

A cognitive system guided by the prefrontal cortex; involved in active processing and manipulation of information.

Inhibition

The cognitive process of dismissing irrelevant stimuli and responses that are judged inappropriate.

Metacognition

Awareness and consideration of one's own thought processes.

Cognitive Self-Regulation

Monitoring, evaluating, and redirecting one's own thinking processes.

Scientific Reasoning

The act of coordinating theories with evidence; develops over time with greater working memory capacity and specific learning experiences.

Imaginary Audience

An adolescent's belief that they are the focus of everyone else’s attention and concern, leading to self-consciousness.

Personal Fable

An adolescent's belief that they are special or unique, often leading to an inflated sense of importance.

Idealism

Adolescents' capacity to think about possibilities, opening their thinking to envisioning an ideal world and alternative life paths.

Jean Jacques Rousseau

An 18th-century philosopher who believed the biological upheaval of puberty triggers heightened emotionality, conflict, and defiance of adults.

G. Stanley Hall (1904)

Described adolescence as a cascade of instinctual passions, resembling an era when humans evolved from savages to civilized beings.

Anna Freud (1969)

Viewed adolescence as a biologically based, universal 'development disturbance' - a stage of powerful sexual impulses causing psychological conflict and volatile behavior.

Margaret Mead (1928)

Suggested that the social environment is entirely responsible for the range of teenage experiences.

Pituitary Gland

Releases growth hormone (GH) and stimulates other glands to produce hormones that bring body maturity.

Testosterone

Hormone that leads to muscle growth, body and facial hair, and other male sex characteristics.

Menarche

First menstruation in females, generally occurring around age 12 in the US.

Spermarche

First ejaculation in males, occurring around age 13 due to the maturation of the prostate gland and seminal vesicles.

Myelinated nerve fibers (white matter)

Increases in the prefrontal cortex, the parietal lobes and the corpus callosum during adolescence.

Neurons and supportive material (grey matter)

Decreases during adolescence, allows for brain development and refinement.

Prefrontal Cognitive-Control Network

Requires fine tuning during adolescence involving inhibition of impulses, planning, and delayed gratification.

Amygdala

Plays a central role in processing novelty and emotional information.

Ventral Striatum

Involved in processes of motivation and reward during adolescence.

Dual Systems Perspective

Brain's emotional/social network outpaces the development of the cognitive control network, inclining teenagers toward heightened risk taking and poor choices.

Lawrence Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development

Moral development proceeds from avoiding punishment to concern for group functioning, and then to universal ethical principles.

Recursive Thinking

Considering viewpoints of two or more people simultaneously.

Popular-Antisocial Children

Aggressive boys and girls who are not academically engaged.

Rejected-Aggressive Children

Children with high rates of conflict and aggression. Hyperactive/impulsive.

Rejected-Withdrawn Children

Passive and socially awkward children with social anxiety.

Controversial and Neglected Children

Display a blend of positive and negative social behaviors.

Recursive thought

Enables children to “read” others’ messages more accurately and internalize expectations.

Traditional Classroom

A classroom that emphasizes traditional teaching methods.

Constructivist Classroom

A classroom that emphasizes collaborative learning and student-led activities.

Reciprocal Teaching

A learning approach where students and teachers collaborate to improve understanding.

Communities of Learners

Classrooms designed around collaboration, problem-solving, and shared knowledge construction.

Classroom Physical Setting

The physical space of a classroom is divided into activity centers for various subjects.

Pragmatics

Deals with the hidden meanings of speakers and investigates what is unsaid, depending on speakers' intentions and gestures.

Code Switching

A single utterance that contains one or more 'guest' words, reflecting deliberate control of two languages.

Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

Becomes more stable near age 6. High IQs correlate with higher education and cognitively complex occupations.

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-V)

A type of individually administered intelligence test.

Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence- Revised (WPPSI-III)

A type of individually administered intelligence test.

Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory

Intelligent behavior involves balancing analytical, creative, and practical intelligences to achieve success.

Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Includes linguistic, musical, logical-mathematical, visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic, and existential intelligences.

Neo-Piagetians

Theorists who built on Piaget's work by emphasizing the role of information processing and working memory in cognitive development.