Chapter 9; Physical and Cognitive Development in Adolescence Flashcards
what are the approximate ages during the adolescent period
10 to 12 and exits at about 18 to 22
why is it important to view adolescents as heterogeneous (something that is made up of different or varied elements)
because different portraits of adolescents emerge, depending on the particular set of adolescents being described
what is G. Stanley Halls view called the “storm and stress”
that adolescence is a turbulent time charged with conflict and mood sings
what did Daniel Offer and his colleagues find when they studied the self images of adolescents that went against G. Stanleys “storm and stress view”
that at least 73 percent of the adolescents displayed a healthy self image rather than attitudes of storm and stress
do the young people of every generation have the same matters of taste and manners
no, very different
acting out and boundary testing are […] ways in which adolescents move toward […], rather than […], parental values
time honored
accepting
rejecting
is it correct or an error to confuse adolescents enthusiasm for trying on new identities and enjoying moderate amounts of outrages behavior with hostility toward parental and societal standards
error
in simpler terms;
It would be a big mistake to confuse teenagers’ excitement about exploring new identities and having some fun with rebellious behavior for actual hostility toward their parents and society’s rules.
what have researchers found about majority of adolescents in the way they they feel about transitioning from childhood through adolescence to adulthood
in a positive way
side note;
been a call for adults to have a more positive attitude toward youth and emphasize their positive development
what races where characterized more positively even during their most vulnerable times
non Latino White and African American 12 - 20 year olds in the US
side note;
engagement in healthy behaviors, supportive relationships with parents and friends, and positive self perceptions were much stronger than their angry and depressed feelings
what is the accurate vision of adolescence
as a time of
evaluation
decision making
commitment
what factors influence the actual life trajectory of each adolescent since too large of a group does not mature successfully in the path to adults
ethnic, cultural, gender, socioeconomic, age, lifestyle differences
what do adolescents who do not become competent adults not receive
adequate opportunities and support
what has Peter Benson and his colleagues argued about the US focus on adolescents
fragmented social policy for youth;
focus on the negative development deficits (esp health compromising behaviors; drug use and delinquency), and not enough on the positive, strength based approaches
according to Peter Benson and his colleagues what is a strength based approach to social policy for youth
adopts wellness perspective
emphasis on the existence of healthy conditions , expands concept of health to include the skills and competencies needed to succeed in employment, education, and life
in other words;
argue for the prominent of well being
what do adolescents face …
- biological changes
- new experiences
- new developmental tasks
does the youth benefit when they have caring adults in their lives in addition to parents or guardians
yes.
e.gs. ;
* Role models, confidants, advocates, and resources
* Coaches
* Neighbors
* Teachers
* Mentors
* After-school leaders
are puberty and adolescence the same thing
no,
for some;
puberty can end long before adolescence does
(most important marker of the beginning of adolescence)
what is puberty
period of rapid physical maturation, occurring
primarily in early adolescence, that involves hormonal and bodily changes
what are the most noticeable changes that a boy or girl are going through puberty
- sexual maturation and increase in height and weight
what is true of the process of puberty development
- not a single, sudden event
- pinpointing beginning and end is difficult
what is the male pubertal characteristics in order of development in puberty
- increase in penis and testicle size
- appearance of straight pubic hair
- minor voice change
- first ejaculation (usually occurs through masturbation or a wet dream)
- appearance of kinky pubic hair
- onset of maximum growth in height and weight
- growth of hair in armpits
- more detectable voice changes
- growth of facial hair
what is the order of physical changes in females in puberty
- either the breasts enlarge or pubic hair appears
- hair appear in the armpit
as these changes occur - the female grows in height and hips become wider than her shoulders
what is menarche
a girls first menstruation - comes rather late in the pubertal cycle
do girls always outweigh boys
no,
during early adolescence girls tend to outweigh boys, but by about age 14 boys begin to surprass girls
are girls always taller than boys
at the beginning of the adolescent period, girls tend to be as tall or taller than boys of their age. by the end of the middle school years most boys have caught up, or in many cases, surprised girls in height
how much earlier does the growth spurt occur for girls than boys
two years earlier
side note;
mean age for girls
9 y/o
mean age for boys
11 y/o
what is the peak rate of the growth spurt during pubertal change occur in girls and boys
girls - 11 1/2 y/o
boys - 13 1/2 y/o
how much do girls and boys increase in height per year
girls - 3 1/2 in.
boys - 4 in.
what happens to boys and girls who are shorter or taller than their peers before adolescence happen during adolescence
likely to remain so during adolescence
what are hormones
powerful chemical substances secreted by the endocrine glands and carried throughout the body by the bloodstream
what are the hormones that increase during puberty
testosterone
estradiol
what is hypothalamus
a structure in the brain that monitors eating and sex
what is the endocrine systems role In puberty involving the interaction of
interaction of the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the gonads
what is the pituitary gland
an important endocrine gland that controls growth and regulates other glands
what are gonads
the sex glands- the testes in males and ovaries in females
what is testosterone
hormone associated in boys with the development of genitals, an increase in height, and a change in voice
what is estradiol
type of estrogen, in girls it is associated with breast, uterine, and skeletal development
how much did testosterone increase in males and females during puberty
eight fold in boys
two fold in girls
how much did estradiol increase in females and males during puberty
eight fold in girls
two fold in boys
do men and woman have testosterone and estradiol
yes, both present in the hormonal makeup of both
girl more estradiol
boy dominated by testosterone
can changing testosterone levels during puberty link to mood and behavior in adolescent males
insufficient quality research to confirm
thus;
hormonal effects by themselves do not account for adolescent development
what can affect hormones
behavior and moods
what can
stress eating patterns
exercise
sexual activity
tension
and depression
do
activate or suppress various aspects of the hormonal system
what has happened regarding periods, since the mid 1800s to the girls who live in the US where they normally grow up bit faster than those in Europe
the average age when girls start their periods has gone down a lot
what have recent studies in Korea, Japan, China, and Saudi Arabia
pubertal onset has been occurring earlier in recent years
however,
good that its unlikely to see pubescent toddlers
possible reason;
likely result of improved nutrition and health
what effects does having higher weight, especially obesity link to
earlier pubertal development
since the basic genetic program is wired into the species what other environmental factors also affect puberty’s timing and makeup
- nutrition
- health
- family stress
- (heredity)
Is BMI associated with earlier pubertal onset
yes, when its high
can considerable stress and conflict cause early pubertal onset
yes, for boys and girls
e.g.
child sexual abuse
when may the puberal sequence for boys begin and end,
+
is it the same for all boys
- may begin as early as 10 years and as late as 13 1/2
- may end as early as 12 or as late as 17
- not same for all boys, one might start when one might have ended
what is the normal age range for girls first menarche
9 and 15
what is a psychological aspect about physical change in puberty that is certain
Preoccupation with body image is strong throughout adolescence
what did the adolescents with the most positive body images engage in
in health-enhancing behavior, especially regular exercises
what does exposure to the Internet and social media increase of adolescents and emerging adults, especially females
body dissatisfaction
between boys and girls, who has the more negative body image throughout puberty
girls
what happens to boy and girl’s body image as they move from the beginning to the end of adolescence
become more positive
how do early maturing boys develop/view themselves
view themselves more positively and have more successful peer relations
how do late maturing boys develop/view themselves
when were in thirties, they had developed a stronger sense of identity than the early maturing boys had
reason;?
- more time to explore life’s options compared to early maturing boys who focus on advantageous physical status instead on career development and achievement
is it good for girls to mature early
no, it increases girls vulnerability to a number of problems
what have researches confirmed of adolescence in boys to be more beneficial . at least in adolescence
to be an early maturing boy rather than a late maturing boy
what are the vulnerabilities that early maturing girls are more likely to do
- smoke, drink, be depressed, have fear disorders
- eating disorder
- Struggle for earlier independence
- older friends
- Have sexual intercourse earlier
- Are more at risk for physical and verbal abuse in dating
- Less likely to graduate from high school, may cohabit and marry earlier
+ Being physically mature doesn’t mean being mentally mature, and girls might engage in risky behaviors that can have lasting negative effects.
what has getting menarche before 11 years of age link to
higher incidence of
- distress disorders,
- fear disorders,
and
- externalizing disorders
why do early maturing girls have depression and antisocial behavior as middle aged adults
mainly because their difficulties began in adolescence and did not lessen over time
is the brain still changing during adolescence
yes
In what sequence does the brain mainly change
in a bottom up, top down sequence
what do researchers mainly focus on
contact induced plasticity of the brain over time
what does pruned mean
synaptic connections are strengthened and survive, while the unused ones are replaced by the pathways or disappear
what happens to the synaptic connections that were pruned by the end of adolescence
have “fewer more selective, more effective neuronal connections than they did as children”
what does pruning indicate about the adolescents activities
the activities adolescents choose to engage and not to engage in influence which neural connections will be strengthened and which will disappear
how do scientists know brains undergo significant structural changes
using fMRI brain scans
what does corpus callous mean
when nerve fibers connect the brains left and right hemisphere
+ thicken in adolescence to process information more effectively
when does the the prefrontal cortex (“the judgement” region reins in intense emotions) finish maturing
approximately 18 to 25 years of age - or later
what is the limbic system
a lower, subcortical level in the brain that is the seat of emotions and experience of rewards, this system is almost completely developed by early adolescence
in simpler terms;
a group of interconnected brain structures that help regulate your emotions and behavior
what is the amygdala
limbic system structure especially involved in emotion
what happens to the levels of neurotransmitters with the onset of puberty
change
e.g.
neurotransmitter dopamine increases in both the prefrontal cortex and the limbic system during adolescence
what has the neurotransmitter dopamine been linked to
increased risk taking and use of addictive drugs
+
reward seeking during adolescence
by the time individuals reach emerging adulthood, there are […] connections across brain areas
increased
the Prefrontal cortex, which is the highest level of frontal lobes, involved in
reasoning,
decision making,
and
self-control.
what is focal activation linked to
to synaptic pruning in a specific region
in middle and late childhood, while there is increased focal activation within a specific brain region such as the prefontal cortex, is there connections between distant brain regions
there are only limited connections
Side note;
By the time individuals reach emerging adulthood, there are increased connections across brain areas
the increased connectedness (referred to as brain networks) is especially […] across more distant brain regions
prevalent
As children and adolescents mature, greater efficiency and focal activation occurs in local areas of the brain, and simultaneously there is an …
Increase of brain networks across different brain regions
what does reduced connectivity between the brains frontal lobes and amygdala during adolescence link to
increased depression
what is the rapidly emerging field of developmental social neuroscience
which involves connections between development, the brain, and socioemotional process
what has researcher Charles Nelson’s viewed about adolescents being capable of very strong emotions
that their prefrontal cortex hasn’t adequately developed to the point at which they can control these passions
in other words;
as if their brains don’t have the brakes to slow down their emotions
who is likely to have diminished brain functioning at 25 years of age;
- adolescent that lives in poverty
- adolescent from poverty but family participates in supportive parenting intervention
the adolescent that lives in poverty conditions had diminished brain functioning
what happens to the prefrontal cortex and brain connectivity when adolescents resisted peer pressure
the prefrontal cortex thickened and more brain connections formed
Not only are adolescents characterized by substantial changes in physical growth and the development of the brain, but adolescence also is a bridge between the …
asexual child and the sexual adult
In other words;
Adolescents experience significant physical growth and brain development. This stage of life serves as a transition from being a child, who is typically asexual, to becoming a sexual adult.
what is adolescent sexuality a time of
sexual exploration and experimentation, of sexual fantasies and realities, of incorporating sexuality into ones identity
why is mastering emerging sexual feelings and forming a sense of sexual identity a multifaceted and lengthy process
involves learning to
- manage sexual feelings (arousal and attraction)
- developing new forms of intimacy
- learning the skills to regulate sexual behavior to avoid undesirable consequences
what do sexual identities include
activities,
interests
styles of behavior
indication of sexual orientation
e.g. some have high anxiety level about sex, others have low level
some are strongly aroused, others aren’t
Gay males and lesbians experience […] same-sex attractions.
early
Some experience same-sex attraction after adolescence
what have researchers found in about the majority of adolescents with same sex attractions to experience
some degree of other sex attractions
what do some claim of individuals who are attracted to their own sex and fall in love
that their same sex attractions are purely physical
do the majority of sexual minority (gay, lesbian, and bisexual) adolescents have competent and successful paths in development
yes, become healthy and productive adults
are sexual minority adolescents or heterosexual adolescents more likely to engage in health risk behaviors (greater drug use and sexual risk taking)
sexual minority
in a 2015 US national survey what is the percentage of 12th graders compared to 9th graders that reported having experienced sexual intercourse
(12th) 58 vs 24 (9th)
