adolescence Flashcards
why is adolescence a period of increased level of risk taking?
new situations and environments where not supervised by adults so increased independence > more likely to engage in risky activities
describe the storm and stress model of adolescence
every adolescent experiences heightened levels of emotion and it is a period of inevitable turmoil that takes place
what are the criticisms for the storm and stress model?
for many teens it is not always a period of turmoil > might feel emotional intensity but its not always a negative period in our development
what did Hall (storm and stress model observe)?
males have increase in sensation seeking and aggression, increased in crime rates, 2 types of aggression
what were Hall’s 2 types of aggression?
relational aggression (females) and physical aggression (males)
give examples of relational aggression
gossiping, rumour spreading, exclusion of others
what do more current models of adolescence focus on?
neurobiological > structural and functional changes that occur in the brain, focus on changes in social-emotional processing brain circuitry during adolescence
executive function, behavioural control, decision making are controlled by what parts of the brain?
PFC, ACC (anterior cingulate cortex)
what part of the brain is linked to salience and motivation?
ventral striatum
what part of the brain is involved in emotion processing and fear assessment?
amygdala
what are neurobiological models of adolescence trying to explain?
what we see at a psychological level in adolescent behaviour
how would a neurobiological model explain adolescents increase in risk taking?
different reward sensitivities and not fully mature cognitive control system
all neurobiological models have a ____ _____ in common
dual system
puts the immaturity of the PFC with the relative maturity of the subcortical regions =
dual system
what is one example of a dual system neurobiological model?
maturational imbalance model (Casey et al, 2008)
this model suggests there is an imbalance between early maturing limbic, affective motivational system with a relatively late developing cortical-control system =
maturational imbalance model
why in childhood is there an ability to suppress types of behaviour?
become both the PFC and subcortical regions are not fully mature
describe the maturational imbalance model in adolescencts
subcortical regions are hyper activated/more mature than PFC > subcortical regions = lots of oestrogen and testosterone receptors > in puberty receive influx of hormones that activate these regions with different information processing. The PFC that isn’t fully mature CANT control behaviours mediated by these regions
why in adulthood is there a decrease in adolescent specific behaviours such as greater risk taking?
the PFC has now matured to the same level as subcortical regions > can fully guide, modulate and inhibit appropriate vs. inappropriate processes/behaviours
the model of enhanced affective and incentive based behaviour shows early maturation of subcortical regions such as ______ and ___________
amygdala and ventral striatum
early maturation of subcortical regions and late maturation of PFC regions predicts what?
a nonlinear enhancement in affectively driven behaviour during adolescence
what structures make up the limbic cortex in the limbic system?
cingulate gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus
what structures make up the hippocampal formation in the limbic system?
amygdala, septal area, hypothalamus
the structures in the limbic system form a complex network that controls what?
emotion
what brain region was more activated by sucrose in adolescents than in adults?
ventral striatum
adolescents show _______ amygdala activation in response to fearful faces than children and adults
greater
what has been found to increase adolescents risk taking?
presence of peers
adolescents displays heightened ________ and ________ to reward and threat
attention, reactivity
what was the length of design done in study looking at the trajectory and differences of different mental health conditions?
cross sectional
what type of mental health disorders start early on in adolescence?
behavioural disorders
what type of mental health disorders start later on in adolescence?
substance use disorders
why is it important to intervene before the onset of mental health conditions?
beneficial as prevention is better than cure
what is the trajectory of alcohol and drug use/abuse?
increases with age during adolescence and peaks in early adulthood
what is the incidence rate of schizophrenia in men?
notable peak in late adolescence and sharp decline into middle age
what is the incidence rate of schizophrenia in women?
peak in adolescence as well as after 45 years old
what is the main environmental factor that increases the risk of psychosis?
cannabis
what are the symptoms and effects of THC?
transiet, dose dependent psychotic symptoms, cognitive effects
do all cannabis users develop psychotic symptoms?
no > only small minority > individual differences
what factors play a role in the strength of the risk cannabis has to its user?
dose, THC conc, other environmental factors, genetic predisposition
what system plays an important role in brain maturation?
endocannabinoid system
what is over activated from THC during adolescence that results in changes in neuroplasticity that alter brain maturation?
CB1R agonists
estimate of the addictive genetic effect that is shared between a pair of traits =
genetic correlation
measure of the extent to which shared genetic influence generates a correlation between 2 traits =
bivariate heritability
