Explain the changes in the brain that contribute to changes in adolescent thinking.
What will be an ideal response?
A good answer would include the following key points:
- The brain has an overabundance of gray matter during adolescence, which is later pruned at a rate of 1 percent to 2 percent per year.
- During adolescence, increased myelination of the nerve cells makes the transmission of neural messages more efficient.
- The prefrontal cortex develops considerably during adolescence and allows the person to think, evaluate, make complex judgments, and monitor impulse control.
- However, the prefrontal cortex does not fully develop until a person's early 20s.
- Each of these structural changes brings with it changes to psychological functioning, as decision making, reasoning, and other cognitive activities mature.
You might also like to view...
When a neuropsychologist presents the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure to an examinee, the neuropsychologist instructs the examinee to
a. sort its pieces according to varying instructions. b. use the pieces to build a figure exactly as shown in the model. c. copy the figure, and then draw it from memory. d. count the number of various types of shapes contained in the figure.
Attribution theory examines ________
a. the explanations people make about the causes of their own behaviors and the behaviors of others. b. the psychological traits or "attributes" that a person possesses. c. the way in which attitudes affect our behavior. d. the tension caused by holding two cognitions that are psychologically inconsistent.
Which of the following are three major benefits of breast feeding?
a. increased bonding, weight reduction, and lower prevalence of diabetes b. convenience, overwhelming popularity, and economically viability c. the passing of antibodies, increased cognitive development, and reduced childhood obesity d. a lower prevalence of personality disorders, increased cognitive development, and an increased frequency of mild temperament
Which of the following is true?
A) Because human sexual response is entirely physical, there are few, if any, differences in what individuals in various cultures find arousing. B) Because sexual arousal requires some type of physical stimulation, having a sexual fantasy is not sufficient to cause significant sexual response. C) People of all cultures and backgrounds respond in a similar manner to highly sexual stimuli such as the smell of genital secretions. D) Some individuals can achieve orgasm from fantasy alone.