Adolescent Development Flashcards
What are the primary sex characteristics?
Body structure that make sexual reproduction.
What are the secondary sex characteristics?
Non-reproductive sexual characteristics. Female = breast and hips, male = voice and body hair.
What is menarche?
The first menstrual period.
What are the 3 environmental factors that impact variations in pubertal development?
- Adiposity (amount of body fat)
- Chemicals mimicking hormones (BPA in plastics)
- Family stress
What are the psychological consequences of early maturation in males?
- Opportunities for leadership
- Higher social status with peers
- Academic, emotional, and behavioural problems (may only be short-lived)
What are the psychological consequences of late maturation in males?
- Negative impact on esteem is short-lived
- Develop positive qualities such as insight
- Less pressure to engage in risk behaviours
What are the psychological consequences of early maturation in females?
- Negative long and short term effects
- Premature dating and sexual encounters
- Vulnerable to STIs, ED, smoking, drinking, depressions, anxiety, and poor academic achievement
- Related to family environment
What are the psychological consequences of late maturation in females?
- Lower peer status
- Generally more positive outcomes
Grey matter in the brain is called…
Synapses
At what age does grey matter increase to be the most connections you’ll ever have?
3-15 months
When grey matter decreases, this is called…
Pruning: of less active synapses
Which part of the brain is most active?
Prefrontal Cortex (PFC)
Which part of the brain continues to grow throughout development?
White matter: neurons become more myelinated (enhanced conductivity/connectivity).
What is the Prefrontal Cortex important for?
Executive functions: planning, emotional regulation, and response inhibition.
What type of development explains adolescent risking decision making?
Neuro-cognitive development of reward and control regions.
According to Piaget, an adolescent in the formal operational stage is able to…
Think abstractly
What are the 2 concepts in Piaget’s formal operational stage?
- Hypothetico-deductive reasoning
- Propositional thought
What are the 3 reasons why older adolescents don’t consistently use formal operational thinking?
- Cognitively lazy, relying on intuition and mental shortcuts
- Easier to use formal operational thinking on tasks where we have considerable experience
- Cultural differences
Abstract reasoning + formal operational thinking =
Increased questioning of standards and reasons (more conflict with parents and authority figures).
What are the 3 consequences of formal operational thought in adolescence?
- Greater idealism
- More argumentative
- More indecisive
Who posed moral dilemmas to different age groups, such as ‘is it okay to steal medicine to save someone’s life’?
Lawrence Kohlberg, 1980s
What are the 3 levels of Kohlberg’s moral ladder?
- Pre-conventional
- Conventional
- Post-conventional
What occurs as moral development progresses?
The focus of concern moves from the self to the wider social world.
What morality is present during the pre-conventional level?
Self-interest
What morality is present during the conventional level?
Law and social rules
What morality is present during the post-conventional level?
Abstract principles
What are the 2 stages within the pre-conventional level?
- Avoid punishment
- Obtain reward
What are the 2 stages within the conventional level?
- Approval/disapproval
- Law and order
What are the 2 stages within the post-conventional level?
- Social contract
- Individual principles
Morality is associated with…
Cognitive and emotional development
According to Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development theory, later childhood is focused on…
Developing a positive sense of self
What is the crisis of adolescence in Erikson’s theory?
Identity vs role confusion
What 4 aspects make up a person’s identity?
- Gender, ethnicity, social groups
- Culture (individualistic vs collective)
- Personal view of personal characteristics
- Goals and values
What did Marcia propose?
Identity status as part of psychological identity development.
According to Marcia, what are the 4 types of identity status?
- Identity diffusion
- Identity foreclosure
- Identity moratorium
- Identity achievement
What occurs in the identity diffusion stage?
- Adolescent does not have a sense of having choices
- Not yet made a commitment
What occurs in the identity foreclosure stage?
- Seems willing to commit some roles, values, or goals for the future
- Not yet experienced an identity crisis
- Tend to conform to expectations for future
- Not explored a range of options
What occurs in the identity moratorium stage?
- Currently in a crisis
- Exploring various commitments and is ready to make choices, but not yet made a commitment to these choices
What occurs in the identity achievement stage?
Has gone through an identity crisis and made a commitment to a sense of identity.
An identity crisis occurs when…
Adolescents begin to think more deeply about identity and reconsider values.
What are the 2 dimensions of emotional autonomy in adolescence?
- Perceiving parents as people
- Parental de-idealisation
Warm, supportive parenting during adolescence predicts high…
Self-reliance, work orientation, academic success, and self-esteem gains
What is the new development stage added as a result of a changing modern society?
Emerging adulthood
