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abstinence-only education
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teaches that abstaining from sex is expected until marriage; this educational track typically excludes information about the utility of contraception and condoms to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections
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abstinence-plus education
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promotes abstinence but includes information about contraception and condoms
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adolescence
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transition period of physical, cognitive, social, and emotional growth and development of an individual from childhood to adulthood
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adolescent egocentrism
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kind of self-centeredness whereby adolescents tend to view themselves as the central figure in a drama unfolding daily
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amygdala
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brain structure responsible for emotional processes
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circadian rhythm
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individual’s biologically based pattern of physiological events that occur on a daily cycle
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cognitive domains
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in the information-processing perspective, the biological supports for various thinking abilities
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comprehensive sex education
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offers medically accurate, age-appropriate information about development, sexual behavior, abstinence, consent, healthy relationships, life and communication skills, sexual orientation, and gender identity
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deductive reasoning
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process of testing out statements, or propositions, in a logical and orderly way based on a general premise
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formal operations
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stage of cognitive development in which the adolescent has achieved formal adult thinking capabilities, including the ability to reason using formal logical systems and symbols
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hippocampus
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brain structure responsible for memory formation
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hypothalamus
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brain structure responsible for hormonal production and control center
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hypothetical reasoning
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ability to make predictions about what might occur given a set of circumstances
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imaginary audience
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distinct sense that everyone is watching, thinking and interested in oneself; a consequence of adolescent egocentrism
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invincibility fable
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feature of the personal fable where adolescents believe that they cannot be harmed or defeated
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limbic system
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set of brain structures that develop over the course of adolescence in terms of their primary functionality as well as their connections and coordination with other areas of the brain
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menarche
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first menstruation in girls
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perceptual speed
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ability to automatically and efficiently process novel visual information and make quick decisions
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personal fable
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belief that adolescents have about their uniqueness in emotions and immortality
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primary sex characteristics
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physical developments that are directly related to the ability to reproduce
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propositional logic
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ability to make a logical conclusion based on the imagined outcome of a scenario rather than the observation of the actual scenario
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puberty
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period of time and the process whereby children transition to physical and reproductive maturity
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relativistic thinking
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ability to think in multiple dimensions and to realize that most statements of fact are relative to the position of the observer
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scientific thinking
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thinking that involves the systematic testing of possibilities
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secondary sex characteristics
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physical developments that accompany primary sex characteristics but are not directly related to the ability to reproduce
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secular trend
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the tendency for successive generations to reach puberty earlier, such as an earlier age of menarche among females today than their counterparts from past cohorts.
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sex positivity
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approach to adolescent sexuality that encourages exploration and experimentation within safe and openly discussed parameters
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sexually transmitted disease (STD)
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sexually transmitted infection that has led to some symptom of disease
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sexually transmitted infection (STI)
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infection transmitted through sexual contact, caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites
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spermarche
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development of the testes in boys resulting in semen, sperm, and the first ejaculation
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thalamus
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brain structure responsible for sensory integration and relay
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thelarche
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development of the breasts in girls