Lecture 3

Question 1

What are some key changes in adolescent cognition?

Answer 1

1) thinking about possibilities
2) Deductive reasoning
3) Hypothetical reasoning

Question 2

What is deductive reasoning?

Answer 2

Can start to generate conclusions from generalities

Question 3

What is hypothetical thinking?

Answer 3

If then thinking. Critical for perspective taking and planning ahead (what would happen if I did this??)

Question 4

What type of thinking are adolescents better at than children?

Answer 4

Abstract thinking (morals, laws, democracy, honesty). Children are better at thinking in concretes

Question 5

What is metacognition?

Answer 5

Can monitor your own thinking which is imperative for critical thought.

Question 6

What is adolescent egocentrism?

Answer 6

Adolescents seem more self-absorbed due to an increase in self thought

Question 7

What is the imaginary audience?

Answer 7

The idea that your behaviour is the focus of everyone around you

Question 8

What is the personal fable?

Answer 8

The belief that your experience is unique-increases individuality but can create a problem when it comes to risk taking (this would never happen to me)

Question 9

What do adolescent egoism and the personal fable create?

Answer 9

Metacognition

Question 10

What does thinking in multiple dimensions help the adolescent to do?

Answer 10

Perspective taking, acting differently in different situations, promotes identity

Question 11

What can the development of relativism do?

Answer 11

Help the adolescent’s ability to argue and think about other possibilities. May cause conflict with caregivers cuz adolescent is beginning to argue against the “absolute” authority of parents

Question 12

What is social cognition?

Answer 12

Thinking about people, social relationships-allows for development of theory of mind.

Question 13

What is theory of mind?

Answer 13

The realization that what you are thinking and feeling is not the same as what others are. Thinking about social relationships and morality, understanding that social norms are not absolute, critical for perspective taking.

Question 14

How do adolescents begin to understand individual and collective rights?

Answer 14

They know that the common good can sometimes override individual rights

Question 15

When is early adolescence?

Answer 15

Age 11

Question 16

When do cognitions start to emerge in adolescence?

Answer 16

9-10, and are mostly online around age 15

Question 17

What is the information processing theory?

Answer 17

Explains cognitive development in terms of growth of specific components of thinking-specific thinking components that change during adolescence.

Question 18

How does attention change during adolescence?

Answer 18

Longer attention spans for focusing and learning-development of selective attention and divided attention.

Question 19

How does memory change during adolescence?

Answer 19

Better working memory, long term memory, and autobiographical memory. `

Question 20

What is the reminiscence bump?

Answer 20

Events from adolescence are remembered better (due to adolescents having stronger emotions)

Question 21

What is the quadratic growth pattern?

Answer 21

Adolescents are faster at information processing than both children and adults (peaks around 15)

Question 22

What kinds of things continue developing until around age 25?

Answer 22

Decision making, planning, coordinating, cognition and emotions.

Question 23

What happens to the brains grey matter during adolescence?

Answer 23

Growth of neurons and synaptic pruning. Elimination of unnecessary synapses

Question 24

Where does pruning happen in the adolescent brain?

Answer 24

Prefrontal cortex

Question 25

What happens in the white matter of the adolescent brain?

Answer 25

Myelination. Linear growth from age 10-16

Question 26

What are some of the changes that happen in the prefrontal cortex in adolescence?

Answer 26

Patterns of activity become more focused, greater coordination between PFC and other brain areas, especially with the limbic system.

Question 27

How do dopamine and serotonin change during puberty?

Answer 27

Dopamine: increases
Serotonin: hasn’t yet increased
Can result in risk taking and moodiness

Question 28

How does the social brain change during puberty?

Answer 28

Becomes more sensitive to facial expressions, social evaluations and others mental states. Peer pressure arises, distracted by others emotions

Question 29

How does the dual systems model attempt to explain adolescent risk taking?

Answer 29

2 Independent things are happening at the same time: balance between PFC and reward system-adolescence is dominated by reward, PFC as inconsistent. Dopamine is increased and more affinity for risk taking activities arises. Cognitive control continues to increase, but not strong enough to engage. Context effects risk-taking.

Question 30

What is risk taking?

Answer 30

Heightened reward seeking and weaker cognitive control