Adolescence Flashcards
Name the phase of maturation that marks the beginnings of puberty and adolescence.
Gonadarche
Name the three phases of puberty and give approximate age ranges for girls (boys are generally a year delayed)
Adrenarche (pre-puberty): 6-9
Gonadarche: 8-14
Growth: 12
Define gonadarche.
Maturation of primary and secondary sex characteristics
Define adrenarche.
Awakening of hormones in adrenal gland
Which phase of puberty relates to HPA axis secretion?
Adrenarche
Which phase of puberty relates to HPG axis reactivation?
Gonadarche
Why is it important to study adolescence?
Adolescence is a long period of time, huge amount of the lifespan with a lot of important milestones.
Define the adolescent dilemma.
Adolescents are cognitively mature but have extreme risk-taking behaviour.
What are two examples of mortality due to adolescent risk-taking?
Car crashes, drowning
In what context specifically is adolescent decision-making impaired?
When peers are around
What kind of social influences increase risk-taking in adolescents? (two points)
Peers doing risky things, in person
How does culture affect adolescent risk-taking? (two points)
Risk-taking is a global phenomenon, but the type of risk depends on cultural norms and taboos.
Describe the methodology of the Chein et al. (2011) study.
Stoplight driving game in fMRI. Simulated car races down straight track with yellow traffic lights. Running yellow light means no delay but risk of crash (large delay).
Describe the findings of the Chein et al. (2011) study.
When alone, adolescents run as many yellow lights as adults. When friend is watching, they run significantly more.
What’s the rough (maximum) age range for adolescence?
10-25
Name the four traits that characterise adolescence.
Risk-taking, cognitive maturity, emotional volatility, increased attention to others
What do the corticolimbic and corticostriatal systems do?
Socio-emotional processing
Subcortical and medial = ?
Socio-emotional
Cortical and lateral = ?
Cognitive control
In what spatial areas of the brain are the socio-emotional regions?
Subcortical and medial
In what spatial areas of the brain are the cognitive control regions?
Cortical and lateral
What are two examples of functional changes in the brain?
Communication between regions, activation of a region in response to a stimulus
What are three examples of structural changes in the brain?
Grey matter thinning, white matter myelination, synaptogenesis
Name the three models that explain the adolescence dilemma.
Dual-system model, triadic model, imbalance model
Explain the dual-system model.
In adolescence, the motivational limbic system is more developed than the cognitive control system. They are unbalanced and the limbic system is activated more quickly and strongly than the prefrontal cortex.
Explain the triadic model.
Similar to the dual-system model but incorporates the amygdala (involved in fear and emotion processing). Triadic model includes avoidance and rejection/ punishment as well as reward.
Explain the imbalance model.
Emphasises developmental lag between limbic and prefrontal regions. Different rate of change - adolescents have adult reasoning skills by 16 but only psychosocial maturity at 25.
Which brain region is the last to fully mature?
Prefrontal cortex
What is the likely evolutionary reason for why adolescents don’t have a fully developed prefrontal cortex?
During development, brain regions are more malleable/ adaptable to optimise the brain to the environment.
What is the likely evolutionary reason for why adolescents are more risk-taking and reward-seeking?
Learning, taking risks, being in novel situations are important for development. Adaptive to be reward-seeking, and typically not too damaging because parents can provide regulation and structure.
Which brain region was most activated for adults during the Chein et al. stoplight game?
(Lateral) prefrontal cortex
Which two brain regions were most activated for adolescents in the peer condition during the Chein et al. stoplight game?
Ventral striatum (limbic system, reward processing) and orbitofrontal cortex (socioemotional processing)
Does cognitive capacity = cognitive control?
No
How does adolescent risk taking relate to safety?
Caregiver supervision provides buffer against consequences of risky behaviour
How does adolescent brain development relate to mental health?
Higher risk of affective disorders (depression and anxiety), partially due to under-developed regulatory systems
What are three core needs of adolescents for healthy development?
Purpose, connectedness, opportunity to thrive
