Lec#5: Puberty & Adolescence Flashcards
What is the period of “Storm and stress” when young people feel entitled and embittered toward authority?
Puberty and Adolescence
What laws enabled children to properly transition into adulthood?
Child Labor Laws
What is the most important marker of the beginning of adolescence?
Puberty
What age does adolescence occur?
12-18 yrs old
The age of puberty can vary between what age groups?
8-14 yrs old
What is the second most dramatic period of
biological stage?
Pubescent Growth Spurt
What period displays rapid changes in body size and proportions + becomes physiologically capable of sexual reproduction?
Pubescent Growth Spurt
What is the sequence of physical changes for girls?
- breasts develop
- pubic hair appears
- growth spurt: wider hips than shoulder
- menarche
- armpit hair + possible acne
If a teenage girl has not had by _______ years old, then she should see a doctor.
16-17 yrs old
The pubertal period of girls is said to be _________ than boys.
shorter
By how many years are girls ahead of boys in terms of maturity?
2 years
For teenage boys, what indication must be present for him to be able to get someone pregnant?
sperm and ejaculation is present
What is the sequence of physical changes for boys?
- enlargement of scrotum + testes
- pubic hair appears
- body size increases
- penis growth + voice change
- spermarche
- armpit hair + facial hair; possibly acne
The first ejaculation may occur through what?
masturbation or nocturnal emissions (“wet dreams”)
Between what ages does puberty in boys occur?
12-16 yrs old
Puberty in males tend to happen in one singular event/a very short amount of time. T/F?
F. It’s more gradual compared to females
Describe the sleep/wake pattern during puberty?
- delayed sleep phase
- shorter sleep duration; steep decline in deep sleep
- irregular sleep schedule
- increased ability to maintain wakefulness
- changed circadian rhythm
What happens to the corpus callosum during puberty? What’s its implication?
thickens; leads to better info processing
When does the amygdala start to mature?
early adolescence
What is the amygdala for?
emotion processing
When does the prefrontal cortex fully mature?
mid to late 20s
What stage in development are adolescents in Piaget’s stages of cognitive development?
Formal Operational
Teenagers are now able to examine and evaluate their own thought processes, what do you call this?
metacognition
Why do abstract games like computer simulations attract adolescents?
because they require high level logic and the consideration of multiple combinations of problems
Teenagers usually ask “What can my future be?” This is an example of what concept in Piaget’s formal operational stage?
Reality and Possibility
Teenagers can now form analogies, do systemic problem solving, and can think of taking multiple steps to achieve a certain goal. What do you call this?
abstract reasoning
What do you call the belief of committing stupid mistakes to the point that you get stuck?
pseudostupidity
Teenagers are generally more risk-taking. This change in decision making may be due to the asynchronous development of what?
- affective: reward focused processing system
- deliberative: reasoned processing system
What is the reward focused processing system?
affective
What is the reasoned processing system?
deliberative
What are the leading causes of death in teenagers?
- violent & non-violent crime
- driving fatalities
- unprotected sex
- attempted suicide
- accidental drownings