Adolescent Cognitive Development & Brain Function Lecture

These question-and-answer flashcards cover major concepts from the lecture, including adolescent cognition, brain development, Piagetian stages, neural anatomy, measurement techniques, neurotransmitters, risk-taking, and different forms of memory.

What does the term "cognition" refer to?

The mental processes involved in thinking, such as attention, memory, and problem-solving.

What is a mind map used for?

A diagram that visually organizes tasks, words, or concepts around a central idea.

What type of reasoning involves drawing logical conclusions from general premises?

Deductive reasoning.

What is metacognition?

Thinking about one’s own thinking processes.

Which famous moral thought experiment is often discussed with adolescents?

The Trolley Problem.

Name the three components of adolescent egocentrism.

Main Character Syndrome, Personal Fable, and Imaginary Audience.

How does relativism change from childhood to adolescence?

Children see issues as absolute; adolescents view them as relative (e.g., understanding that not only "bad" people lie).

List Piaget’s four stages of cognitive development in order with typical age ranges.

Sensorimotor (0-2), Preoperational (2-5), Concrete Operational (6-early teens), Formal Operational (12+).

What characterizes the sensorimotor stage?

Learning through senses and movement.

What characterizes the preoperational stage?

Egocentrism, pretend play, and limited logical reasoning.

What characterizes the concrete operational stage?

Logical thinking about concrete, tangible ideas.

What characterizes the formal operational stage?

Abstract, hypothetical, and multidimensional thinking.

Name four general cognitive improvements that occur during adolescence.

Attention, memory, processing speed, and organization.

What does MRI primarily measure?

Brain structure through detailed images of tissue.

What does fMRI measure and what is a common social-exclusion paradigm used with it?

Brain activity via blood flow; the Cyberball game.

What kind of data does EEG record?

Electrical activity of the brain (brain waves).

What does DTI assess in the brain?

The integrity and direction of white-matter tracts.

What is gray matter and how is it altered during adolescence?

Neuron cell bodies and synapses; it is refined by synaptic pruning.

What is white matter and which process increases it?

Myelinated axons; it increases through myelination.

Give one example of a demyelinating disease.

Multiple Sclerosis (or Optic Neuritis).

What is neural plasticity, and how do developmental and adult plasticity differ?

The brain’s ability to change with experience; developmental plasticity is stronger and more widespread, whereas adult plasticity is more localized.

Name the three main parts of a neuron.

Cell body, axon, and dendrites.

Roughly how many synaptic connections does a single neuron make?

About 10,000 connections.

What is a synapse?

The gap between neurons where neurotransmitters convey impulses.

Define neurotransmitter.

A chemical messenger that carries electrical impulses across a synapse.

Which two brain structures show the greatest change during adolescence?

The Prefrontal Cortex and the Limbic System.

List two primary functions of the prefrontal cortex.

Planning/decision-making and impulse control.

List two primary functions of the limbic system.

Emotion processing and reward sensitivity.

Which neurotransmitter is most closely linked to reward seeking and sensation?

Dopamine.

Which neurotransmitter is closely tied to mood and emotion regulation?

Serotonin.

What is synaptic pruning?

The elimination of unused neural connections to improve efficiency.

What is myelination?

The process of coating axons with myelin to speed neural transmission.

According to Behavioral Decision Theory, why do adolescents take more risks, especially with peers present?

They can think logically but tend to overvalue rewards and underestimate risks when peers are around.

What is working memory?

Short-term storage of information (about 30 seconds) while solving a problem.

What is long-term memory?

The ability to recall information stored from the distant past.

What is autobiographical memory?

Recall of personally meaningful life events.

What is the "reminiscence bump"?

The tendency to recall more memories from adolescence than from other life stages.

What is Theory of Mind?

Recognizing that other people have their own distinct thoughts and perspectives.