Chapter 9: Physical and Cognitive Development in Adolescence Flashcards
puberty
period of rapid physical and sexual maturation that occurs mainly during early adolescence
menarche
a girl’s first menstruation
hormones
powerful chemical substances secreted by the endocrine glands and carried through the body by the bloodstream
hypothalamus
structure in the higher portion of the brain that monitors eating and sex
pituitary gland
an important endocrine gland that controls growth and regulates other glands, including the gonads
gonads
the sex glands - the testes in males and the ovaries in females
sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
infections contracted primarily through sexual contact, including oral-genital and anal-genital contact
anorexia nervosa
eating disorder that involves the relentless pursuit of thinness through starvation
bulimia nervosa
an eating disorder in which the individual consistently follows a binge-and-purge pattern
Piaget’s formal operational stage
11+ years old; more abstract than concrete operational thought; not limited to actual, concrete experiences as anchors for thought. Can conjure up make-believe situations, abstract propositions, and events that are purely hypothetical and can try to reason logically about them
hypothetical-deductive reasoning
Piaget’s formal operational concept that adolescents have the cognitive ability to develop hypotheses, or best guesses, about ways to solve problems
adolescent egocentrism
the heightened self-consciousness of adolescents
imaginary audience
adolescent’s belief that others are as interested in them as they themselves are; attention-getting behavior motivated by a desire to be noticed, visible, and “on stage”
personal fable
part of adolescent egocentrism that involves an adolescent’s sense of uniqueness and invincibility (or invulnerability)
service learning
a form of education that promotes social responsibility and service to the community
