Physical and Cognitive Development of Adolescence Flashcards
Biological Perspective of adolescence
Flood of biological processes leads to adult body and sexual maturity in puberty
Storm and Stress
Created by G Stanley Hall- Biological perspective comparing adolescence to the extremely turbulent time where human savages became civilized
Margaret Mead
Margaret Mead described social and cultural influence on how kids experience adolescence
Social Perspective of adolescence
Social environment is responsible for range in teenage experience
Balanced View of Adolescence
Biological, psychological and social influences
When do hormonal changes begin?
8-9
What hormones contribute to gains in body size and sexual maturity?
Growth hormone and thyroxine
What are the 2 types of hormones in puberty?
Estrogens
Androgens
Adrenal Androgens
Released by adrenal glands in girls and contribute to height spurt and body hair growth
Testoreone
Androgen released by boys testes
When is the growth spurt for girls and boys?
Boys- 12.5- 17.5
Girls- 10- 16
What changes in proportions are experienced in puberty?
Boys- shoulders broaden and legs become longer
Girls- hips broaden
Primary Sexual Characteristics
Maturation of reproductive organs
Secondary Sexual Characteristics
Visible changes on the outside of the body
Menarche
First menstruation
When does menstruation usually occur?
10.5- 15.5
Spermarche
First ejaculation
When does spermarche usually occur?
13.5
5 factors contributing to individual differences in puberty
Heredity Nutrition/ exercise SES Early family experience Secular trend
Prefrontal cognitive control
Teens can’t do tasks involving inhibition, planning or future orientation
What is the effect of excitatory neurotransmitters during adolescence?
Neurons are more responsive so teens react more strongly to stress and experience more pleasure
Girls reaction to pubertal changes?
Surprise and mixed feeling. Advanced knowledge helps
Boys reaction to pubertal changes?
Mixed feelings. Recieve less peer support so advanced knowledge is important
Psychological Distancing
We are evolutionarily prepared to leave our parents during puberty but teens in our time can’t leave home so they become moody
Early maturing girls
Unpopular, low self esteem, negative body image and more deviant behaviour
Early maturing boys
Popular, positive body images, leaders but display more deviant behaviour
Late maturing girls
Popular leaders with positive body image
Late maturing boys
Unpopular, anxiety, less positive body image
2 factors effecting reactions to pubertal timing
How closely body matches cultural ideals of physical atractiveness
How they fit in physically amongst their peers
What are 3 consequences of lack of sleep?
Reduced achievement
Depression and anxiety
High risk behaviours
What parenting style contributes to anorexia?
Controlling
3 contributions to anorexia?
Heredity
Neurotransmitter abnormalities for impulse and anxiety
Parenting style
What type of person is most likely effected by bullimia?
Impulsive young people who lack self control
What parenting style contributes to bulimia?
Disengaged, emotionally absent
Personal characteristics of sexually active?
Early pubertal timing
Impulsivity
Weak sense of personal control
Family characteristics of sexually active?
Broken or large family
Lack of religion
Lack of parental monitoring
Peer characteristics of sexually active?
Sexually active friends and older siblings
Alcohol/ drug use
What percentage of teens do not use contraception regularly?
20%
Possible causes of homosexuality
X- linked heredity
Prenatal Sex hormones
Birth order
3 stages of coming out
Feeling different (6-12) Confusion (11-15) Self acceptance (End of adolescence)
When and where are STI rates the highest?
USA during adolescence
How many sexually active teens have an STI?
1/5 - 1/6
How long does it take for AIDS symptoms to appear?
8- 10 years
How many teen pregnancies were reported last year?
727,000
How many teen pregancies were younger than 15?
12,000
How many teen pregnancies end in abortion?
1/4
What percentage of births to unwed mothers are adolescents?
87%
What are the 3 factors contributing to an increase in teen pregnancy?
Effective sex ed reaches too few teens
Low cost contraceptive services are scarce
Many families live in poverty causing teens to take more risks
By grade 10 what percentage of kids have tried cigarettes, alcohol and illegal drugs
33%
58%
37%
What percentage of kids smoke regularly by the end of hiughschool
11%
What percentage of kids report heavy drinking by the end of highschool
27%
What percentage of kids have used highly addictive drugs by the end of highschool
25%
Experimenters
Psychologically healthy, sociable, sensation seeking
Abusers
Family mental/ substance problems. low SES, impulsive and hostile
Piaget’s Formal Operational Stage
Develop capacity for abstract, systematic, scientific thinking
Hypothetico Deductive reasoning
Problem solving based on hypothesis, deducing logical, testable inferences
Propositional Thought
Evaluating logic of verbal propositions without using real life circumstances
When do kids show the beginnings of formal operational thought
School age
What 3 factors contribute to formal operational thought
Schooling
Training
Conxtext
8 gains in executive function
Attention Inhibition Strategies Knowledge Metacognition Cognitive self regulation Speed of thinking Processing capacity
Scientific Reasoning
Coordinating theories with evidence
4 contributing factors to scientific reasoning
Working memory capacity
Exposure to complex problems
Metacognitive understanding
Open mindedness
3 consequences of cognitive change
Self conscious and self focusing
Idealism and criticism
Decision making
2 distorted realities that make teens self councious
Imaginary audience
Personal fable
Imaginary Audience
Belief they are the focus of everyone’s attention and concern
Personal fable
Certain that other’s are observing and thinking about them, teens develop an inflated opinion of their own importance
Idealism
Teens imagine an ideal world and wish to explore it
Criticism
When teen’s lives fall short of their ideals, they become hyper- critical
Decision making
Influenced by immediate reward
What 2 factors cause grades to decline during school transitions
Higher academic standards
Less supportive learning environments
Multiple Problem youth
Have academic and mental health problems. Greatest academic decline
5 ways to help school adjustment
Parent involvement Close friendships Smaller units within school Same ethnicity peers Home room teacher relationships
3 factors for academic achievement
Child rearing style
Peer influence
Classroom experience
Which parenting style supports academic achievement
Authoritative
Who has the highest drip out rates
Boys and low SES minorities
5 ways to prevent dropout
Remedial instruction Personalized counselling High quality vocational training Address personal factors of dropout Extracurricular participation