Human Development, 5: Adolescence

Question 1

Menarche

Answer 1

The onset of menstruation (indicator of puberty in females)

Question 1

Spermarche

Answer 1

The onset of ejaculation (indicator of puberty in males)

Question 1

Describe the relationship between family conflict and menarche.

Answer 1

Higher levels of family conflict are a predictor of earlier menarche.

Question 1

How does the brain respond to excitatory neurotransmitters in adolescence?

Answer 1

Adolescents’ neurons are increasingly responsive to excitatory neurotrasmitters.

Question 1

Who described adolescence as a phase of ‘storm and stress’ “so turbulent that it resembles the era in which humans evolved from savages into civilized beings”?

Answer 1

G. Stanley Hall, one of the founders of psychology and first developmental psychologists.

Question 1

Do males and females differ in the timing of puberty? If so, how?

Answer 1

Yes, Females average about 2 years earlier onset of puberty than males.

Question 1

What is the first notable indicator of puberty?

Answer 1

An increase in height and weight known as the ‘growth spurt’

Question 1

What is a ‘secondary sex characteristic’?

Answer 1

“Features that distinguish the two sexes of a species, but that are not directly part of the reproductive system.” E.g., pubic and auxiliary hair

Question 1

What are some consequences of the adolescent brain’s responsiveness to excitatory neurotransmitters?

Answer 1

Both stress and pleasures are experienced with more intesity than at other times in life.

Question 1

How many hours of sleep per night is ideal for adolescents?

Answer 1

9; even adults prefer to sleep 8.5 hours absent pressures to be awake, and consider the added demands of the adolescent growth spurt.

Question 1

How is communication different regarding menarche and spermarche?

Answer 1

Although communication about menarche has a mixed history in our society, most girls do receive some adult instruction and talk to others about it. It is rare that males discuss spermarche.

Question 1

Some speculate that adolescent conflict is an evolved function of the tendency for primates to leave their family at this age. How do adolescents today cope with that fact that they tend to live with their immediate families longer?

Answer 1

Many will cope via psychological, rather than physical distancing - closing their door, tuning out, spending more time socializing with friends.

Question 1

Anorexia nervosa

Answer 1

An eating disorder characterized by starving oneself due to the fear of gaining weight. Prevalence: ~1% of girls in developed countries.

Question 1

Bulimia nervosa

Answer 1

An eating disorder characterized by bingeing and purging, in an attempt to control one’s weight.

Question 1

Parenting style common to girls diagnoed with anorexia

Answer 1

Overprotective and controlling mothers, emotionally unavailable fathers.

Question 1

How common is it for adolescents to have experience with sexual intercourse?

Answer 1

At least half of adolescents a couple of years ago reported having had sexual intercourse.

Question 1

What are some myths about homosexuality in adolescence?

Answer 1

That only people who identify as gay or lesbian ever feel attracted to the same sex, that homosexuals all wear gender deviant clothing, that the vast majority of people who experience homosexual sex identify as homosexual, that there is no evidence of a genetic basis for homosexuality at all

Question 1

What contributes to teenage pregnancy being a greater social problem now than in earlier eras?

Answer 1

Today’s teenange mothers are less likely to accrue a marriage, and are more likely to experience divorce if they do marry. Single parenthood places a significant stressor on that person, which significantly affects their quality of life as well as the child’s.

Question 1

What differentiates the “formal operational” stage from earlier stages?

Answer 1

Logical operations are no longer limited to concrete objects, and scientific thought processes (hypothetico-deductive reasoning) can be applied to abstract, unobserved phenomena. Further evidence has shown that this stage is not universal.

Question 1

What were the views of G. Stanley Hall, one of the founders of psychology and first developmental psychologists, on adolescence?

Answer 1

He described adolescence as a phase of ‘storm and stress’ “so turbulent that it resembles the era in which humans evolved from savages into civilized beings”

Question 1

An eating disorder characterized by starving oneself due to the fear of gaining weight. Prevalence: ~1% of girls in developed countries.

Answer 1

Anorexia nervosa

Question 1

An eating disorder characterized by bingeing and purging, in an attempt to control one’s weight.

Answer 1

Bulimia nervosa

Question 1

Which feature of authoritative parenting is associated with better grades in adolescence?

Answer 1

shared parent-child decision making

Question 1

The personal fable

Answer 1

An aspect of adolescent egocentrism, characterized by a sense that the person’s experiences are completely unique and that no one can relate to them; accompanied by exaggerated or melodramatic emotions.

Question 1

Erikson’s Psychosocial conflict of Adolescence

Answer 1

Identity vs. Role Confusion, characterized by uncertainty about their place in adult society that, for most, is gradually resolved into a stable social identity. Role confusion is extended insecurity and dependence.

Question 2

Subsequent theory parsed Erikson’s ‘Identity crisis’ into what two psychological elements?

Answer 2

Exploration and Commitment

Question 3

Do teachers’ perceptions of them matter to most adolescents?

Answer 3

Yes, research has shown that teachers’ praise or blame predicts their self esteem, although not as much as peers’ evaluations.

Question 4

What are four types of response to identity crisis, characterized by different combinations of exploration and commitment?

Answer 4

Identity Achievement, Identity Moratorium, Identity Diffusion, Identity Foreclosure

Question 5

This response to the identity crisis is characterized by high commitment and low exploration.

Answer 5

Identity Foreclosure, reflected in a ‘traditional’ environment where adolescents assume adults’ definition of them without seeking individuality.

Question 6

This response to the identity crisis is characterized by low commitment and high exploration.

Answer 6

Identity Moratorium, reflected in seeking information about possible identites for a ‘moratorium’ period in adolescence without being bound to one role.

Question 7

This response to the identity crisis is characterized by high commitment and high exploration.

Answer 7

Identity Achievement, reflected in an adolescent who has explored possible identities for themselves and made a commitment to one that they find suitable

Question 8

This response to the identity crisis is characterized by low commitment and low exploration.

Answer 8

Identity Diffusion, reflected by insecurity about even trying on different roles, and a lack of attachment to any identity.

Question 9

How did Kohlberg use the “Heinz dilemma” to construct a theory of moral stages?

Answer 9

He was not interested in the content of peoples’ responses - there were no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ moral answers for each stage. Rather, the reasoning behind their answer provided insights into how moral perspectives develop from simpler to more complex reasoning.

Question 10

Kohlberg’s Conventional levels of moral development:

Answer 10

Views maintaining interpersonal and social order as a social good. Therefore, right and wrong are based on other peoples’ or institutions expectations. Conformity and obedience. Although Kohlberg posited higher stages, many people worldwide do not even reach these stages.

Question 11

Kohlberg’s Preconventional levels of moral development:

Answer 11

Views reward and punishment, or social exhange that favors the individual as the basis of morality. Thus, right and wrong are defined by whether a behavior is rewarded or punished, or results in a favorable exchange. In this view, if you get away with doing somehting selfish that harms others, or come out ahead in the long run, it wasn’t wrong.

Question 12

Kohlberg’s postconventional levels of moral development:

Answer 12

Very rare in most samples of persons, and appears to depend on specialized education. This view of morality is based on a social contract human rights or universal ethical principles that transcend national laws or traditions about right and wrong. They may yet respect the rule of law, where it is formed by consensus and enforced in a just and fair manner.

Question 13

What is the relationship between a person’s ‘Kohlberg moral stage’ as tested and their real life moral reasoning?

Answer 13

Moral reasoning in real life is often reflective of stages lower than the person tested, due to time constraints and other stressors not present at test.

Question 14

What is a common modern observation about many ‘discontinuous’ theories of human development, including Kohlberg’s?

Answer 14

That in real life, progress is rarely discontinuous and stagelike as it seems on paper, and people often make gradual back-and-forth progreess at the transition points.

Question 15

Moral development is aided by parenting that:

Answer 15

Engages in dialogue with children about moral decisions. Lecturing/authoritarian or permissive approaches are less effective.

Question 16

This type of parenting is linked to a variety of preferred adolescent outcomes, such as prevention of delinquency, reduction in sexual activity, and positive psychological well-being

Answer 16

Consistent parental monitoring of daily activities, through a cooperative relationship in which the adolescent willingly discloses information (most likely under Authoritative parenting)

Question 17

Corumination

Answer 17

Rumination is when a persons thoughts are dominated by negative events or possibilities and they have difficulty letting go or taking another perspective. Corumination is when this occurs in a social relationship, where both people use the relationship primarily as a place to complain, which keeps them down.

Question 18

What is the most common psychological ‘disorder’ of adolescence?

Answer 18

Depression

Question 19

For most people, early dating is predictive of:

Answer 19

Drug use, delinquency, poor grades

Question 20

How do suicide rates change over the lifespan, esp. in adolescence?

Answer 20

The chance of a person committing suicide increases over their life course, but takes a notable increase in adolescence.

Question 21

What cognitive-emotional element peculiar to adolescence is thought to contribute to a rise in suicide rates?

Answer 21

The personal fable. The sense of uniqueness both contributes to stronger emotions that may be unmanageable, and an isolated sense that no one else can relate to these problems.

Question 22

True or false: zero tolerance policies are the most effective way to fight adolescent delinquency.

Answer 22

False. Early prevention through positive parenting and educational standards is most effective. Zero tolerance policies may even increase dropout rates.

Question 23

Identity Foreclosure

Answer 23

This response to the identity crisis is characterized by high commitment and low exploration.

Question 24

Identity Moratorium

Answer 24

This response to the identity crisis is characterized by low commitment and high exploration.

Question 25

Identity Achievement

Answer 25

This response to the identity crisis is characterized by high commitment and high exploration.

Question 26

Identity Diffusion

Answer 26

This response to the identity crisis is characterized by low commitment and low exploration.