Adolescent Development Terms Ch. 1-6

abstract thinking

thinking in hypothetical/nonconcrete terms

ADHD

A biologically based psychological disorder characterized by impulsivity, inattentiveness, and restlessness, often in school situations

adolescent relativism

adolescents are more likely to question others ascertains and less likely to accept facts as absolute truth

Age grading

The process of grouping individuals within social institutions on the basis of age

age of majority

the designated age at which an individual is recognized as an adult

Androgens

A class of sex hormones secreted by the gonads, found in both sexes but in higher levels among males than females following puberty

Anorexia nervosa

An eating disorder found chiefly among young women, characterized by dramatic and severe self-induced weight loss

Autobiographical memory

The recall of personally meaningful past events

Baby boom

The period following World War II, during which the number of infants born was extremely large

binge eating dissorder

an eating disorder characterized by binge eating that is not accompanied by drastic attempts to loose weight

bulimia

an eating disorder found primarily among young women characterized by a pattern of binge eating and extreme weight loss measures including self induced vomiting

charter schools

public schools that have been given the autonomy to establish their own curricula and teaching practices

Child protectionists

Individuals who argued, early in the twentieth century, that adolescents needed to be kept out of the labor force in order to protect them from the hazards of the workplace

cliques

small, tightly knit groups of between 2 and 12 friends, generally of the same sex and age

cofigurative cultures

cultures in which young people are socialized both by adults and by each other

Cohort

A group of individuals born during the same general historical era

Common Core

a proposed set of standards in language arts and mathematics that all American schools would be expected to use

Continuous Transitions

Passages into adulthood in which adult roles and statuses are entered into gradually

crowds

large, loosely organized groups of young people, composed of several cliques and typically organized around a common shared activity

Crystallizes intelligence

Intelligence that reflects general knowledge

cyberbullying

bullying that occurs over the internet or via cell phones

Cyberbullying

Bullying that occurs over the Internet or via cell phones

Delayed Phase Preference

A pattern of sleep characterized by later sleep and wake time, which usually emerges during puberty

Diathesis-stress model

A perspective on psychological disorder that posits that problems are the result of an interaction between a preexisting condition (the diathesis) and exposure to stress in the environment

Differential susceptibility theory

The idea that the same genetic tendencies that make an individual especially susceptible to develop problems when exposed to adverse environmental influences also make them especially likely to thrive when exposed to positive environmental influences

Discontinuous Transitions

Passages into adulthood in which adult roles and statuses are entered into abruptly

Divided Attention

The process of paying attention to two or more stimuli at the same time

dopamine

a neurotransmitted especially important in the brain circuits that regulate the experience of reward

Dyscalculia

Impaired ability in arithmetic

dysgraphia

impaired ability in handwriting

dyslexia

impaired ability in reading or spelling

Egocentrism

Extreme self-absorption, often a consequence of too much "thinking about thinking."

Endocrine System

The system of the body that produces, circulates, and regulates hormones.

Epigenesis

The process through which the environment can affect the way a gene is expressed without changing the base sequence of the DNA itself

epiphysis

the closing of the ends of the bones which terminate growth after the adolescent growth spurt has completed

Estrogens

A class of sex hormones secreted by the gonads, found in both sexes but in higher levels among females than males following puberty

Executive Function

More advanced thinking abilities, enabled chiefly by the maturation of the prefrontal cortex, especially in early adolescence

Familism

An orientation toward life in which the needs of one's family take precedence over the needs of the individual

Fluid Intelligence

Intelligence reflected in how well we reason and think flexibly

gangs

organized peer groups of antisocial individuals

Generational dissonance

Divergence of views between adolescents and parents that is common in families of immigrant parents and American-born adolescents

glands

Organs that stimulate particular parts of the body to respond in specific ways to particular hormones

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) nurons

Specialized neurons that are activated by certain pubertal hormones.

Hormones

Highly specialized substances secreted by one or more endocrine glands

Hostile Attributional Bias

The tendency to interpret ambiguous interactions with others as deliberately hostile

HPG Axis

A neuroendocrine system that regulates reproduction and growth by controlling gonadal hormones, such as testosterone and estrogen

• Hypothalamic

• Pituitary

• Gonada

hypothalamus

a part of the brain that controls the functioning of the pituitary gland

iatrogenic effects

unintended adverse consequences of a treatment or intervention

Imaginary Audience

The belief, often brought on by the heightened self-consciousness of early adolescence, that everyone is watching and evaluating one's behavior

Initiation ceremony

The formal induction of a young person into adulthood

inventionsts

theorists who argue that the period of adolescence is mainly a social invention

Kisspeptin

a brain chemical believed to trigger the onset of puberty

Language brokering

Translating or interpreting materials for parents who are not proficient in the dominant language in the area where they live

learning disability

a difficulty with academic tasks that cannot be traced to an emotional problem or sensory dysfunction

limbic system

an area of the brain that plays an important role in the processing of emotional experience, social information, and reward and punishment

Mainstreaming

The integration of adolescents who have educational handicaps into regular classrooms

metacognition

the process of thinking about thinking itself

Microaggressions

Subtle, often unintentional, comments or actions that express prejudice or discrimination toward members of marginalized groups

Midlife crisis

A psychological crisis over identity believed to occur between the ages of 35 and 45, the age range of most adolescents' parents

neurotransmitters

Specialized chemicals that carry electrical impulses between neurons

peak height velocity

the point at which the adolescent is growing most rapidly

Perceived popularity

How much status or prestige an individual has

Personal Fable

An adolescent's belief that he or she is unique and therefore not subject to the rules that govern other people's behavior

Plasticity

The capacity of the brain to change in response to experience

Positive Risk Taking

Risk taking that promotes healthy psychological development

Postfigurative cultures

Cultures in which the socialization of young people is done primarily by adults.

Prefigurative cultures

Cultures in which society is changing so quickly that adults are frequently socialized by young people, rather than the reverse

Prefrontal cortex

The region of the brain most important for sophisticated thinking abilities, such as planning, thinking ahead, weighing risks and rewards, and controlling impulses

Proactive aggression

Aggressive behavior that is deliberate and planned

Reactive aggression

Aggressive behavior that is unplanned and impulsive

reference group

a group against which an individual compares themselves

Relational aggression

Acts intended to harm another through the manipulation of their relationships with others, as in malicious gossip

reminiscene bump

the fact that experience from adolescence are generally recalled more than experiences from other stages of life

Risk-Taking Behavior

Engaging in activities with potential negative outcomes as a result in an increase in sensation seeking behavior

Scaffolding

Structuring a learning situation so that it is just within the reach of the student

Selection

Adolescents are attracted to one another because of their initial similarity

Selective Attention

The process by which we focus on one stimulus while tuning out another

Self-fulfilling prophecy

The idea that expecting people to behave in a certain way increases the chances that they actually will

serotonin

A neurotransmitter which plays an important role in the experience of different moods

Sibling rivalry

Competition between siblings, often for parental attention

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

an approach to education that emphasizes psychological development and mental health in addition to academics, which has become increasingly popular in American schools

social capital

the interpersonal resources available to an adolescent or family

Social cognition

The aspect of cognition that concerns thinking about other people, about interpersonal relations, and about social institutions

social redefinition

the process through which an individual's position or status is redefined by society

Socialization

Adolescents become similar because friends influence each other

Sociometric popularity

How well-liked an individual is

standards-based reform

policies designed to improve achievement by holding schools and students to a predetermined set of standards measured by achievement tests

Thinking about Possibilities

The adolescent ability that begins to develop that allows the adolescent to think through multiple possibilities

Thinking in Multiple Dimensions

Adolescents thinking in a more complicated way about multiple aspects of an issue

tracking

the practice of separating students into ability groups, so that they take classes with peers at the same skill level

vouchers

government-subsidized vouchers that can be used for private school tuition

Working Memory

That aspect of memory in which information is held for a short time while a problem is being solved