Physical/Cognitive Development in Adolescence (ch. 11) Flashcards
what is the greatest period of sexual differentiation since intrauterine life?
puberty!
onset for puberty for girls vs. boys
girls: 10.5 yrs
boys: 12.5 yrs
early puberty signs for girls
breast development
growth spurt (height and weight)
pubic hair
menarche
12.8 years
woman’s first cycle, no viable ova
age of puberty has _______ for both boys and girls over the past decades
decreased
early puberty signs in boys
enlargement of testes, penis
pubic hair
growth spurt (muscles/upper body)
spermarche
13 yrs
man’s first ejaculation, no viable sperm
at night, “wet dream”, can be embarrassed
puberty is best if …
on time with peers
if girls get puberty early
below avg popularity
withdrawn
lacking in self confidence
stressed
poor body image
increase risk for eating disorder
if boys get puberty early
relaxed
independent
self-confident
popular
attractive
good body image
leaders/athletes
if girls get puberty late
physically attractive
lively
sociable
leaders
good body image
if boys get puberty late
anxious
overly talkative
attention seeking
bad body image
causes of early puberty in girls
changes in diet, medical care, environment
linked to father absence/step father presence
exposure to sexual media disrupts hormone levels
primary vs. secondary sexual characteristics
p - reproductive organs
s - outside of body/visible (body hair/weight gain in certain areas)
secular trend
generational change
sleep-deprived teenagers display
decline in executive function and both cognitive and emotional self-regulation
Do african-american girls statistically react more favorably to menarche than european girls? why?
Yes; their families treat it like a milestone/better prepare them for it
_____ brings an increase in parent-child conflict
puberty
weak cognitive control predicts….
a rapid rise in drug use from early to middle adolescence
hypothetico-deductive reasoning
piaget; believed when faced with a problem, young people start with a hypothesis and deduce the correct answer
propositional thought
piaget’s formal operation stage; adolescents’ ability to evaluate the logic of propositions/verbal statements w/o referring to real world circumstances
what was found in an Israeli study in regards to propositional thought?
schooling fully accounted for early adolescent gains in propositional thoughts
imaginary audience
when one thinks they are the focus of everyone else’s attention
personal fable
certain that others are observing them, inflates self importance
sex differences in spatial abilities
males do better in mental rotation but there is no gender difference in spatial visualization
Ellis and Garber (2000) consequences of early puberty
physical
- higher rate of breast cancer (due to prolonged exposure to estrogen)
- obesity (judged on appearance)
Psychosocial
- more body image disturbance
- more emotional problems/problem behaviors
ellis and garber (2000) interpretation
identical twins got puberty closer together when together than apart = environment has impact
ellis and garber influence on timing
physical
- weight
- nutrition
- exercise
psychosocial
- family environment
- child behavioral problems
- life stress
can parents do anything to avoid consequences of puberty?
for girls: nurse baby and avoid “fat talk”
push for early puberty education in schools
Belsky, Steinberg and Draper model of reproductive effort
- availability and predictability of resources
- trustworthiness of others
- enduring of close personal relationships
for lecture lion story, when the male starts to fail…
- stress levels increase for whole family
- females develop more rapidly to not be killed
causes of girls and environmental relationships
family stress
lack of resources
father absence
coercive relationships
lack of family support
effects of girls and environmental relationships
accelerated puberty and sexual behavior
orients towards unstable relationships
evolutionary theory w/ reproduction
if environment is adverse, it may be adaptive to reproduce early
t/f: all of ellis and garber’s hypotheses were proven correct
true
girls with a comfortable/stress-free childhood have a(n) ______ puberty
delayed
Verzani et al (pandemic)
increase in consultation for girls in budding
thought to be caused by:
- diet change
- sleep changes/disruption
- increase in stress levels and screen time
life history theory
organisms face trade offs facing developmental constraints (applied to pubertal timing, esp. in girls)
