Developmental Psychology

Achieve Test Prep: Developmental Psychology

o Tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana are typically thought of as ‘gateway’ drugs to more serious drugs o Risk of addiction increases as the age of first drug use/drink decreases • Sexual Abuse o Children between ages seven and thirteen are at the greatest risk for sexual abuse o Sexual abuse is any sexual activity, or activity which can be interpreted as sexual, without consent from all persons involved o Legal age of consent is set by state law, and is usually between fourteen and sixteen years of age o Sexual abuse is still abuse if consent is not given or revoked, regardless of legal age of consent o Sexual activity with someone younger than the legal age of consent, even if consent is given, is considered abuse o Sexual abusers are typically men that the child knows Females are abused more often than males o Sexual abuse and abuse in general, occur across all races, genders, SES, and ethnicities.

Adolescent Cognition:

Cognitive development continues throughout the adolescent period: - Selective attention improves - Memory improves - Metacognition (thinking about thinking) improves

According to Piaget , adolescents fall into the Formal Operational Thought category. This stage is the final stage in Piaget’s cognitive developmental timeline. Formal Operational Thought is characterized by the ability to think hypothetically, logically, and abstractly. These skills start to become evident by age twelve. Adolescents have the ability to think about the future in a symbolic manner. Their ability to complete tasks with abstract ideals is the significant characterization of this stage. Adolescents can also perform hypothetico-deductive reasoning to consider the many solutions to a single problem, weight options, and make an informed decision.

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