Development in adolescence

Question 1

What is Puberty

Answer 1

maturation of primary sex characteristics]
- Signaled by menarche (11 – 13 years), spermarche (12– 14 years)
emergence of secondary sex characteristics
- e.g. pubic hair, adult-like body proportion, enlargement of breasts in females, etc.
Accompanied (or slightly preceded by) the growth spurt

Question 2

Cognitive development in adolescence

Answer 2

Quantitative developments: peak efficiency of information processing is reached
- E.g. speed of processing, capacity of working memory, etc.
Qualitative changes: the emergence of formal-operational intelligence (J. Piaget)

Question 3

What is Propositional reasoning

Answer 3

expressing problems in terms of statements (propositions) whose logical structure is then evaluated

Question 4

What is Formal analogical reasoning

Answer 4

finding abstract (formal) equivalence between simple relations, e.g.
BIRD – FEATHER - DOG – ..

Question 5

How does peer groups change over adolescence

Answer 5

• change in peer group dynamic over the course of adolescence (Dunphy, 1963)
  – Same-sex cliques (small groups of friends)
  – Crowd formation: same-sex cliques in loose interaction
  – Crowd: heterosexual cliques in close association
  – Crowd disintegration: romantic dyads (couples) in loose interaction