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1. Early Adolescence: The period spanning roughly ages 10-13, corresponding
roughly to the junior high or middle school years.
2. Middle Adolescence: The period spanning roughly ages 14-17, corresponding
to the high school years.
3. Late Adolescence: The period spanning roughly ages 18-21, corresponding
approximately to the college years.
4. Emerging Adulthood: The period spanning roughly ages 18-25, during which
individuals make the transition from adolescence to adulthood.
5. Puberty: The biological changes of adolescence.
6. Rite of Passage: A ceremony or ritual marking an individual's transition from
one social status to another, especially marking the young person's transition to
adulthood.
7. Ecological Perspective on Human Development: A perspective on develop-
ment that emphasizes the broad context in which development occurs.
8. Identity: The domain of psychosocial development involving self-conceptions,
self-esteem, and sense of who one is.
9. Autonomy: The psychosocial domain concerning the development and expres-
sion of identity.
10. Intimacy: The psychosocial domain concerning the formation, maintenance,
and termination of close relationships.
11. Sexuality: The psychosocial domain concerning the development and expres-
sion of sexual feelings.
12. Achievements: The psychosocial domain concerning behaviors and feelings in
evaluative situations.
13. Menarche: The time of first mensturation, one of the most important changes to
occur among females during puberty.
14. Endocrine Systems: The system of the body that produces, circulates, and
regulates hormones.
15. Hormones: Highly specialized substances secreted by one or more endocrine
glands.
16. Glands: Organs that stimulate particular parts of the body to respond in specific
ways to particular hormones.
17. Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) Neurons: Specialized neurons
that are activated by certain pubertal hormones
18. Set Point: A physiological level or setting (e.g., of a specific hormone) that the
body attempts to maintain through a self-regulating system.
19. Feedback Loop: A cycle through which two or more bodily functions respond
to and regulate each other, such as that formed by the hypothalamus, the pituitary
gland, and the gonads.
, Adolescence-Laurence Steinberg CHAP 1-3
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20. Pituitary Gland: One of the chief glands responsible for regulating levels of
hormones in the body.
21. Hypothalamus: A part of the brain that controls the functioning of the pituitary
gland.
22. Gonads: The glands that secrete sex hormones: in males, the testes; in females:
the ovaries.
23. Testes: The male gonads.
24. Ovaries: The female gonads.
25. Androgens: A class of sex hormones secreted by the gonads, found in both
sexes, but in higher levels among males than females following puberty.
26. Estrogens: A class of sex hormones secreted by the gonads, found in both
sexes, but in higher levels among females than males following puberty.
27. HPG (hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal) Axis: The neurophysiological pathway
that involves the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the gonads.
28. Adrenarche: The maturation of the adrenal glands that takes place during
adolescence.
29. Cortisol: A hormones produced when a person is exposed to stresses.
30. Leptin: A protein produced by the fat cells that may play a role in the onset of
puberty.
31. Organizational Role (of Hormones): The process through which early expo-
sure to hormones, especially prenatally, organizes the brain or other organs in
anticipation of later changes in behavior or patterns of growth.
32. Activation Roles (of Hormones): The process through which changes in hor-
mone levels, especially at puberty, stimulate changes in the adolescent's behavior,
appearance, or growth.
33. Adolescent Growth Spurt: The dramatic increase in height and weight that
occurs during puberty.
34. Peak Height Velocity: The point at which the adolescent is growing most rapidly.
35. Epiphysis: The closing of the ends of the bones, which terminates growth after
the adolescent growth spurt has been completed.
36. Secondary Sex Characteristics: The manifestations of sexual maturity at pu-
berty, including the development of breasts, the growth of facial and body hair, and
changes in the voice.
37. Tanner Stages: A widely used system that describes the five stages of pubertal
development.
38. Pheromones: A class of chemicals secreted by animals that stimulate certain
behaviors in other members of the species.