Adolescence Flashcards
Puberty
Period of rapid growth and sexual development that begins in adolescence and starts at some point between 8 and 14 years of age.
How has adolescence evolved historically?
Adolescence today starts earlier and ends later than in the past.
When does puberty today start for boys and girls?
10-11 years for girls and 11-12 years for boys
What two roles do hormones play in puberty?
Organizational role and activational role
What is organizational role?
Priming the body to behave a certain way once puberty begins.
What is activational role?
Triggering certain behavioral and physical changes
Describe the two phases of puberty
Adrenarche - Increased production of adrenal androgens that contribute to a number of pubertal changes (ex. skeletal growth)
Gonadarche - Increased production of hormones governing physical and sexual maturation
Primary sex characteristics
Organs needed for reproduction (ex. ovaries in females and testes in males)
Secondary sex characteristics
Physical signs of sexual maturation that do not directly involve sex organs (ex. development of breasts and hips in girls and increased muscle and bone mass in boys).
The rapid release of hormones activates the male and female ________
Gonads
What physical changes occur in females?
- Nipple growth
- Pubic hair
- Increase in height
- Fat formed on breasts and hips
- First menstrunal period (menarche)
What physical changes occur boys?
- Growth of testes
- Growth of penis
- Growth of pubic hair
- First ejaculation (spermarche)
- Facial hair
- Deepening of voice
When do girls and boys hit their growth spurts?
Girls: Between 8 - 13 years old
Boys: 10 - 16 years old
What may happen to a girl who matures early?
They may be teased or overtly admired. They may have an increased risk of depression, substance use, and early sexual behavior.
What may happen to a boy who develops early?
They may be more confident, popular, and independent but they are also at greater risk of substance abuse and early sexual activity.
How may late-developing boys and girls feel?
They may be self conscious about their developing bodies. Boys especially will be at higher risk for depression and conflict
What happens in the prefrontal cortex during adolescence?
Myelination and synaptic pruning increase which improves information processing.
When does the brain reach its largest physical size in girls?
11
When does the brain reach its largest physical size in boys?
14
What happens to the level of dopamine in adolescents? How does this change affect their behavior?
Increases. May make adolescents take more risks and more vulnerable to boredom.
What is dopamine in the brain associated with?
Pleasure and attuning to environment during decision making
What is serotonin in the brain associated with?
Regulation of mood and behavior. Eases tension and stress
Are teens in mid-adolescence or late adolescence more likely to take risks? Why?
Teens in mid-adolescence are more likely to take risks. This is because the cognitive controls in the prefrontal cortex have not developed yet while the limbic system has.
Adolescents are prone to risky behaviors because ________________.
The prefrontal cortex is not fully developed yet.
How do teens sleep schedules differ from children? Why?
Teens stay up later and have trouble getting up in the morning. This is because melatonin levels in the blood rise later and fall later.
What is body image? How does a teen’s body image affect their physical health?
Body image is a person’s idea of how their body looks. A person with a negative body image may develop unhealthy eating habits which affect their body’s health.
How many highschool girls in the US are trying to lose weight? How many of girls think they are overweight?
Two thirds. One third
How many highschool girls in the US are actually overweight?
One-sixth
How much more likely are girls to develop an eating disorder than boys?
2 1/2 times more likely
What are some health consequences of anorexia?
- Abnormally slow heart rate
- Low blood pressure
- Reduction of bone density
- Severe dehydration
- Fatigue
What are some health consequences of bulimia?
- Electrolyte and chemical imbalances in heart and major organs
- Inflammation and rupture of esophagus
- Tooth decay and staining
What are some health consequences of binge eating?
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol levels
- Heart disease
- Type II diabetes
What is the most important influence on an adolescent’s sexual activity?
Their peers
What may happen if adolescents have sex?
They become highly vulnerable to sexual and emotional abuse, STDs, teen pregnancy.
What things influence teen’s sexual behavior?
- Teen’s ability to think and reason
- Their values
- Their educational experience
What happens during the genital stage in Freud’s Psychosexual theory?
A person’s ego and superego have been developed. They have a more realistic way of thinking and establishing social attachments outside of their family.
What five cognitive areas improve during adolescence?
Memory, attention, processing speed, organization, metacognition
What is metacognition?
The ability to plan ahead, see future consequences of actions, and provide alter explanations of events.
What cognitive stage are adolescents in according to Piaget?
Formal operational state. Allows individuals to think hypothetically and entertain what if scenarios.
Adolescent egocentrism results in what two distinct problems of thinking?
Imaginary audience and personal fable
What is adolescent egocentrism?
The phenomenon of an adolescent’s inability to distinguish between their perception of what others think of them and what people actually think in reality.
What is the imaginary audience?
The phenomenon is that an adolescent anticipates the reactions of others in actual or impending social situations. The result is that adolescents believe that they are the center of attention.
What is the personal fable?
Adolescents belief that they are of importance to so many people (imaginary audience) and that they are the only ones to experience strong and diverse emotions. This reinforces the belief that they are invincible.
What is the invincibility fable?
The belief that an adolescent is above some of the rules, disciplines, and laws that apply to other people. May remove the impulse to control one’s behavior which makes them prone to risky behaviors.
In contrast to Piaget’s theory, what is the dual-process model?
The notion that humans have two distinct networks for processing information: intuitive and analytical thought.
What is intuitive thought?
A thought process that is automatic, unconscious, and fast
What is analytical thought?
A thought process that is deliberate, conscious, and rational (logical).
What is the behavioral decision making theory?
Adolescents and adults both weigh potential rewards and consequences of actions.
Are adolescents more likely to give more weight to rewards or consequences of an action? Why?
Rewards. Adolescents value social warmth and friendship and the hormones in their brains are more attuned to those values.
What level of moral reasoning do individuals fall into from middle childhood to early adolescence?
Conventional level
What is relativistic thinking? Are teens more or less likely to engage in it?
The process of questioning other’s assertions and less likely to accept information as absolute truth. More likely.
What are the two main aspects of identity development?
Self concept and self esteem
What is a self-concept?
The ability of a person to have opinions and beliefs that are defined confidently, consistently, and with stability,
What happens to an adolescent’s behavior as a result of them exploring multiple “ possible selves”?
They will abruptly change their self-presentation by choosing and rejecting certain behaviors. They will try to guide their actual self toward their ideal self and away from their feared self.
What is self esteem?
One’s thoughts and feelings about one’s self concept and identity.
In what situation are girls more likely to enjoy high self esteem? What may cause them to have low self esteem?
When engaging with supportive friends. Not winning a friend’s approval or not finding someone who shares commonalities with them can cause low self-esteem.
True or False. Self esteem significantly drops during adolescence.
False. No evidence suggests that baseline self-esteem drops during adolescence. Barometric self-esteem does fluctuate rapidly and can cause severe stress and anxiety.
What is foreclosure?
When an individual commits to an identity without exploring other options
In what situation are boys more likely to enjoy high self esteem? What may cause them to have low self esteem?
Successfully influencing their friends. Not winning over a romantic partner may contribute to low self-esteem.
What is identity confusion/diffusion?
When an individual neither commits nor explores any identities.
What is moratorium?
The state in which an individual is actively exploring options but has not made any commitments yet.
What are the main areas of identity development that adolescents explore?
- Religious identity
- Political identity
- Vocational (occupation) identity
- Ethnic identity
- Gender identity
True or False. Adolescents argue frequently with their parents.
False. Research shows that only a small number of teens have major conflicts with their parents.
What is homophily?
The phenomenon of adolescents hanging out with individuals who are similar to them.
Why do adolescents have disputes with their parents?
Adolescents wish for independence and autonomy which conflicts with parent’s supervision and control
What is deviant peer contagion?
The process in which peers reinforce problem behavior by laughing or showing other signs of approval which increases the likelihood of future problem behavior happening in the future.
What is Patterson’s early vs late starter model for aggressive/antisocial behavior?
A model that predicts early starters to be at greater risk for long-term antisocial behavior than late starters. Late starters who become antisocial in adolescence most likely experience poor parental monitoring and supervision.
What is the difference between crowds, cliques, and friendships?
- Crowds are groups based on shared reputations/images (ex. jocks, nerds, etc)
- Cliques are groups of people that interact frequently
- Friendships are reciprocal, intimate relationships
What are some possible factors for why there are many mass shootings in the US?
- Higher accessibility and ownership of guns
- Mental illness and its treatment
- Desire for revenge for bullying
- Desire for fame and notoriety
- Copycat phenomenon
- Failure of government background checks
What is the rate of major depression in adolescent boys and girls?
1 in 5 for girls and 1 in 10 for boys
What is suicidal ideation and parasuicide?
Suicidal ideation is thoughts about killing oneself while parasuicide is attempts of suicide
