Physical and Cognitive Development in Adolescence Flashcards
Biological Perspective (Conceptions of Adolescence)
- Puberty
- Storm and Stress (caused by puberty hormones)
- Freud (Transition to Genital Stage)
Social Perspective (Conceptions of Adolescence)
Social and Cultural Influences (Transitions for adolescence and how they are seen by others)
Balanced Point of View (Conceptions of Adolescence)
Both Biological and Social Influences
Early (Three Phases of Adolescence)
- 11-12 to 14 years
- Rapid pubertal change
Middle (Three Phases of Adolescence)
- 14 to 16 years
- Puberty nearly complete
Late (Three Phases of Adolescence)
- 16 to 18 years
- Full adult appearance
- Anticipation of adult roles
Hormonal Changes in Puberty
Growth Hormone and Thyroxine increase around age 8-9 (Estrogens and Androgens)
Estrogens (Hormonal Changes in Puberty)
- More in girls
- Adrenal estrogens
Androgens (Hormonal Changes in Puberty)
- More in boys
- Testosterone
Boys (Sex Differences in Body Growth in Adolescence)
Growth Spurt: Starts age 12-1/2
Proportions: Shoulders broaden and Longer legs
Muscle-Fat Makeup: Gain more muscle, aerobic efficiency
Girls (Sex Differences in Body Growth in Adolescence)
Growth Spurt: Starts age 10
Proportions: Hips broaden
Muscle-Fat Makeup: Gain more fat
Primary Sexual Characteristics (Sexual Maturation)
Maturation of the reproductive organs
- Girls: Menarche
- Boys: Spermarche
Secondary Sexual Characteristics (Sexual Maturation)
Other visible parts of the body that signal sexual maturity
- Girls: Breasts
- Boys: Facial Hair, Voice Change
- Both: Underarm Hair
Individual Differences in Timing of Puberty
- Heredity
- Nutrition, exercise (Body fat, leptin in girls)
- Geographical location
- SES
- Ethnic group
- Family experiences
- Secular trend
Girls (Reactions to Puberty)
- Surprise
- More positive than in past
Girls (Reactions to Puberty) Preparation
- Preparation, information help
- Father’s involvement helps
Boys (Reactions to Puberty)
- Mixed reactions
- Sooner than expected
Boys (Reactions to Puberty) Preparation
- Preparation helps
- Could benefit from telling people
Girls Early Maturing (Consequences of Timing of Puberty)
- Unpopular, withdrawn, low confidence
- More deviant behavior
- Negative body image
- More long-term problems
Boys Early Maturing (Consequences of Timing of Puberty)
- Popular
- Confident, independent
- Positive body image
Girls Late Maturing (Consequences of Timing of Puberty)
- Popular
- Sociable, lively. school leaders
- Positive body image
Boys Late Maturing (Consequences of Timing of Puberty)
- Unpopular
- Anxious, talkative, attention-seeking
- Negative body image
Eating Disorders
- Anorexia nervosa
- Bulimia nervosa
Anorexia Nervosa (Eating Disorders)
Starve out of fear of getting fat
Bulimia Nervosa (Eating Disorders)
-Strict diet and exercise, binge and purge
Adolescent Brain Development
- Pruning Continues (Frontal Lobes)
- Growth and Myelination speed up (Strengthen connections among regions)
- Neurotransmitter Response Change (More sensitive to excitatory messages)
Pruning and Growth and Myelination cause Cognitive Advances in… (Adolescent Brain Development)
- Attention
- Planning
- Integrating Information
- Self Regulation
Neurotransmitter response changes Intensity reactions to… (Adolescent Brain Development)
- Stress
- Pleasure, novelty
Adolescent Brain Development:
Gateway to Higher Functioning
- Increased communication between different hemispheres of the brain
- Sleep needs are similar to that of children
Increased communication between different hemispheres of the brain (Adolescent Brain Development)
- Prefrontal cortex development
- More responsive to excitatory neural messages
Sleep needs are similar to that of children (Adolescent Brain Development)
- Unlike children, the average adolescent does not get enough sleep (9hours)
- “Phase delay” becomes stronger with puberty, leading to increased sleep deprivation
Piaget’s Theory: Formal Operational Stage
-Hypothetico-deductive Reasoning (Deducing hypotheses from a general theory
-Pendulum problem
-Propositional Thought
(Evaluating the logic of verbal propositions)
Piaget’s Pendulum Problem
They are able to separate the effects of different variables
Information Processing Improvements in Adolescence
- Attention
- Inhibition (Filter out distractions)
- Memory strategies
- Knowledge
- Metacognition (More aware of how they think about things)
Consequences of Abstract Thought
- Self-Consciousness and Self-Focusing
- Idealism and Criticism
- Planning and Decision Making
Self-Consciousness and Self-Focusing (Consequences of Abstract Thought)
- Imaginary audience (Everyone is paying attention to everything you do)
- Sensitivity to criticism (tension is created due to new ability to see options and differences)
- Personal fable (Idea that you are unique and things don’t happen to you)
Planning and Decision Making (Consequences of Abstract Thought)
- Inexperience
- Overwhelming options
Girls Verbal Skills (Sex Differences in Mental Abilities)
- Performance: Girls do better from early ages, throughout school
- Biological Influences:Girls: advantage in left hemisphere of brain
- Environmental Influences: Parents talk more to girls and Language arts considered “feminine”
Boys Math Skills (Sex Differences in Mental Abilities)
- Performance: Boys better at abstract reasoning; Gap larger at higher levels, although shrinking
- Biological Influences: Boys: better numerical memory, spatial reasoning
- Environmental Influences: Mathematics considered “masculine” and Parents see boys as better at math
Culture of Adolescent Sexuality
- U.S. is more restricted in terms of open discussion about sex and sexuality
- Many teens report learning about sex through other sources
Characteristics of Sexually Active Teens
- U.S. has one of the earliest timings of first sexual intercourse (more so for boys)
- Early and frequent sexual intercourse has short- and long-term consequences
Adolescent Pregnancy
- 20% of sexually active teens do not always practice safe sex (800,000 teens/year in the U.S; 25,000 of these teens are younger than 15 years)
- Change in cultural stigma against unmarried teen mothers has lead to more mothers keeping their children
Teen Pregnancy in America
xxx
Consequences of Teen Parenthood:
- Educational attainment
- Marital patterns
- Economic stability
- Infant health and development
Predictors of Childbearing
- Low parental warmth and often high domestic violence
- Child abuse
- Parental divorce and remarriage
- Adult models of unmarried parents
- Poor academic progress
- Alcohol and drug use
- Aggressive and antisocial behaviors
- Deviant peer group
- High rate of depression
Adolescent Substance Use Have tried, by grade 10:
Cigarettes – 40%
Alcohol – 63%
Illegal drugs – 38%
Adolescent Substance Use by end of high school:
14% smoke regularly
28% recent heavy drinking
50%+ tried illegal drugs
