Chpt 11 [Emerging Adulthood]

Question 1

Emerging Adulthood

Answer 1

(18-25 years old); widely thought of as a distinct developmental stage.

Question 2

Emerging Adulthood Cumulative Load (Health)

Answer 2

• Organ Reserve= The capacity of organs to allow the body to cope with stress, via extra unused functioning ability. (This is what allows 20 yr olds to stay up all night, exercise to exhaustion, etc and still function the next day normally.)
• Homeostasis= The adjustment of all of the body’s systems to keep physiological functions in a state of equilibrium. (as the body ages, the body has a harder time adjusting to stress.)
• Allostasis= A dynamic body adjustment that affects physiology over time.

(Homeostasis requires an immediate response whereas allostasis requires longer-term adjustment.

Question 3

Cognition- Postformal Thought

Answer 3

• Postformal Thought= Following Piaget’s four stages, postformal thought (5th stage) is “a type of logical, adaptive problem-solving that is a step more complex than Piaget’s formal operational thought.” this stage is more flexible.
  -Less Abstract & absolute
  -Better suited for practical problems of daily life, life’s inconsistencies.
• Objective Thought= Uses abstract logic that isn’t influenced by the thinker’s personal qualities but involves facts & numbers that are universally considered true/valid (facts).
• Subjective Thought= Uses personal experiences, emotions, cultural assumptions, etc. (opinionated)

Question 4

3 Approaches to Study Cognitive Development

Answer 4

A. Stage Approach (Piaget)- Cognitive stages and processes that change with age. (Sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational & now postformal operational)

B. (current) Psychometric Approach- Changes in the components that make up intelligence by use of IQ tests.

C. (scattered throughout book) Information-Processing Approach- The efficiency of such mental processes as input/output, encoding, memory, and retrieval.

Question 5

Cognitive Growth and Higher Education

Answer 5

• Massification= The idea that establishing institutions of higher learning and encouraging college enrollment can benefit everyone (the masses).

Question 6

Psychosocial Development- Identity Achievement

Answer 6

• Moratorium= An adolescent’s choice of a socially acceptable way to postpone making identity-achievement decisions. (Ex: College gap year, temporary job, traveling around the world, enlisting in the military for two years, etc)

Question 7

Psychosocial Development- Intimacy

Answer 7

• Intimacy= knowing someone well, sharing secrets, sex, etc.
• Commitment= Grows through decisions to be together, mutual caregiving, shared possessions, and forgiveness.
• Intimacy vs Isolation= Erikson’s 6th stage (of 8) of development where adults seek someone with whom to share their lives in an enduring and self-sacrificing commitment. Without such commitment, they risk profound isolation/aloneness.
• Choice Overload= When having too many choices is confusing and dizzying and can result in overwhelming the system and choosing no choice at all.
• Cohabitation= An arrangement in which a couple lives together in a committed romantic relationship but are not formally married.

Question 8

Intimate Partner Violence

Answer 8

• Situational Couple Violence= Fighting between partners that is a result of a situation more than deep personality problems of the individuals. Both partners are typically victims and abusers.
• Intimate Terrorism= A violent, demeaning form of abuse in relationships which the victim is frightened to fight back, seek help, or withdrawal. In this case, the victim is in danger physically and psychologically.
• Linked Lives= Lives in which the success, health, and well-being of each family member are connected to those of other members.