adolescent development

Question 1

what is adolescence

Answer 1

• period between childhood and adulthood
• period of physical changes
• puberty
• ages 10-19

Question 2

what is adolescence assumed to be a distinct stage

Answer 2

• specific behaviours e.g. risk taking, self-consciousness, peer influence
• adolescent period in non-human animals
• evident across history

Question 3

how does aristotle describe adolescence

Answer 3

lacking in sexual self-restraint, fickle in their desires, passionate and impulsive

Question 4

what does elkind propose

Answer 4

adolescent egocentrism
- move to formal operational thinking
- ability to engage in abstract thinking, recognise other people’s mental states and perspectives. emerging ability to conceptualise thought of self and others
- aware of other people’s views but assume views are universal

Question 5

how does focus on mental life become excessive

Answer 5

• awareness that can reflect upon thoughts and feelings
• become more aware of one’s own inner world
• extreme preoccupation with one’s own thoughts and feelings

Question 6

what is the imaginary audience

Answer 6

• a false belief that others are scrutinising you and are observing everything about you the way you do
• can be negative and/or positive
• adolescent as the centre of attention

Question 7

what is illusion of transparency

Answer 7

• feeling that everyone knows what you are thinking or feeling
• overestimate the degree that others can read you
• illusion that inner stakes and feelings leak out and can easily be detected

Question 8

what is self consciousness

Answer 8

• the imaginary audience is responsible
• individuals feel shame or seeks privacy due to the constant feeling of being observed or criticised

Question 9

what is personal fable and private god

Answer 9

• inflated notion of self importance arising from the false assumption that they are everyone’s centre of attention
• belief that they are special and indestructible
• think god will protect them from harm

Question 10

what did somerville et al find about self consciousness

Answer 10

• 69 pps completed FMRI scan
• during the scan ppas were told a camera was embedded in the scanner
• didn’t complete any tasks
• when camera was on pps were told that a peer was monitoring the camera
• when they though they were observed by adolescents they were more embarrassed compared to children and adults
• adolescents were more self-conscious than other age groups

Question 11

what did Weil et al 2013 find about metacognitive abilities

Answer 11

• investigated how metacognitive ability
• 56 pps
• after each trial they were asked to rate how confident they were that they chose the right answer
• accuracy levels increased with age

Question 12

what did alberts et al 2007 find about personal fable

Answer 12

• 119 students
• personal fable and risk-taking
• measured invulnerability and speciality
• found personal fable scores increased with age
• males scored higher in invulnerability
• significant correlation between personal fable and risk-taking

Question 13

what do bell and bromnick 2003 say about imaginary audience

Answer 13

• it’s very real for adolescents

Question 14

what did galanaki and christopoulos 2011 say about imaginary audience

Answer 14

the new look model
- imaginary audience and personal fable are adaptive coping mechanisms used by adolescents in their attempt to deal with the stressful developmental aim of separation-individuation

Question 15

why is imaginary audience considered an outdated theory

Answer 15

• does not account for sex differences - females might have more social pressures

Question 16

what did knoll et al 2015 find about social influence on risk perception

Answer 16

• 563 pps presented with risk scenarios and asked to rate how risky those were
• pps were then shown ratings of other people
• then asked to re-rate
• children rated scenarios as most risky compared to other groups
• adolescents and adults didn’t differ
• children and adults influenced more by adults ratings
• adolescents were more strongly influenced by other adolescent ratings

Question 17

what did gardner and steinberg 2005 find about peer influence

Answer 17

• 3 groups - adolescents, youths and adults
• driving simulation
• pps completed task alone or in presence of a peer
• alone condition - all similar
• adolescents and young people took more risks compared to alone, adults was the same

Question 18

what is the limbic system

Answer 18

• collection of structures in the brain. related to emotion, memory, feelings of pleasure and reward
• it’s hypersensitive in adolescents

Question 19

what is the dual system model

Answer 19

• prefrontal regions associated with planning, decision making, inhibitory control and general executive functioning still developing during adolescence
• hypersensitive limbic system coupled with later maturation of the prefrontal cortex