Test 1 Flashcards
What happened to the age of adolescence?
Adolescence used to be 14-24 but is not 10-18 because we started leaving home sooner and didnt have to stay home for farming and domestic service (life cycle service)
What are the major characteristics of adolescence?
Early adolescence (11-14)
Neural pruning accelerates
Beginning of puberty and growth spurt
Moving into Formal Operation Thinking
Focus on peer relationships
Reward centers light up more so when they’re with friends
Beginning Interest in romantic relationships
Emerging Adolescence (14-18)
Neural pruning continues
Expansion of abstract and advanced reasoning
Completion of puberty and growth spurt
Development of limbic system complete serious romantic relationships
what founded adolescence?
Stanley Hall
When does adulthood begin?
depends on culture but western is 18-25
What are the major characteristics of early adulthood?
Beginning college/trade school/full-time work
Completion of neurological development
Post-Formal operational thinking completed
Seeking intimacy
Search for identity continues
Making career, relationship, and life decisions
Establishing autonomy
Age of instability
Cultural variations on the transition to adulthood
cross-cultural accepting responsibility for oneself making independent decisions becoming financially independent Other cultures use different markers Israel: Completing military service Argentina: Being able to support a family (your own) financially China: Being able to support your parents financially
What are the crises from ericksons psychosocial theory
adolescence- identity vs role confusion
adulthood- intimacy vs isolation
What are Bronfenbrenner’s contextual levels?
Macrosystem, exosystem, mesosystem, microsystem, chronosystem
Steps in the scientific method
- identify a question
- form a hypothesis
- choose a research method
- collect data
- draw conclusion
ethics in human reseach
dont hurt physically or psychologically
informed consent
confidentiality
deception and debreif
ways of collecting information
observation, interview, biological measurements
types of research designs
cross sectional (most common, quick and cheap), longitudinal, natural experiments, experimental, case studies, ethnographic
what are genes and what do they do?
biochemical units that make up chromosomes
synthesis DNA
19,000
methods for examining genetic influence
twin studies, adoption studies, selective breeding, within species
evidence of hereditary and environmental influence
Activity level
Task persistence (attention, decision time) assessed
Emotion (mood, anxiety, anger, empathy)
niche picking - gravitating towards environments that are more consistent with your personality
Sociability (friendliness, affection, aggression, less so, more environmental)
Psychological adjustments (fears, some phobias, reactions to stress)
Leisure activities (risk taking, TV Viewing)
myths of genetic influences
genes do not directly influence development and psychological processes and domains
no single gene is responsible for a single influence, process, trait, or behavior, but can influence certain diseases
genetic influences are not “locked on” at full strength at the moment of conception
there is no evidence that environmental influences increase and hereditary influences decrease, genes and the environment interact through out the entire lifespan
genetic influence does not necessarily imply a very strong influence
Define the environment and different types of environment
environment- all non-genetic factors that can influence development
proximal- cell environment, organism, nutritional/medical care
distal- SES. family and peer relationships, economic, political and cultural contexts
types of environmental influences- transitory and sable, living (people, organism, viruses), and non-living (chemical, radiation)
different types of gene and environment interactions
scarrs model of gene environment interactions(everything is bidirectional)
what are passive, evocative, and active genotypes?
passive-parents provide both genes and environment for their children, making genes and environment difficult to separate in their effects on children’s development.
evocative- a person’s inherited characteristics evoke responses from others in the environment.
active- when people seek out environments that correspond to their genotypic characteristics.
what is epigenetics?
the study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than alteration of the genetic code itself.
how do epigenetics influence genes?
Epigenome provides instructions and regulates the functional aspects of all the genes
how do environmental experiences influence genes?
Epigenetic tags are unique to the individual. Identical twins begin with the same code and same tags, but over the years, the tags vary with their environmental experiences and in time the genetic makeup of the twins become less and less identical (licking the rats)
what is methylation vs demethylation?
Methylation (attachment of molecules) tends to turn genes off/keeps them from firing; demethylation (releasing of molecules) turns to allow genes to turn on
what is the endocrine system?
collection of glands that produce hormones
biological triggers of puberty
hormonal changes of puberty begin in the hypothalamus
stimulates and regulates the production of hormones and other glands
to initiate puberty, increases production of GnRH
occurs when body reaches threshold level of body fat
Glands and hormones
pituitary gland- secretes hormones
thyroid gland- affects metabolism
adrenal glands- fight or flight
feedback loop
set point- when hormones reach an optimal and the hypothalamus reduces GnRH to begin this process
DNA tells hypothalamus to reduce GnRH at the end of puberty (if not, you would grow forever)
Sequence of boys puberty
testies- 9.5- 13.5 pubic hair- 10-15 growth spurt- 10.5- 16 penis growth- 10.5-14.5 voice lowers- 11-15 spermarche- 12-14 facial hair, oils, acne- 12-17
sequence of girls puberty
pubic hairs- 8- 14 breast- 8- 13 growth spurt- 9.5- 14.5 menarche- 10-16.5 underarm hair, oils acne- 10- 16
what is the secular trend and what is responsible for it?
secular trend- steady decrease in the average age of menarche on western countries (12.5)
illness and thinness inhibit development of body fat
advances in food production= enhanced nutrition= earlier puberty
what are secondary and primary sex characteristics?
primary- vagina and penis
secondary- breast, testes
what are the sequences and changes of a growth spurt?
sudden, uneven, and rather unpredictable jump in the size of almost every body part
first fingers and feet, then legs and arms, then torso (as internal organs grow)
eyes change- may cause nearsightedness
gender differences in growth spurts
boys and girls are similar before. girls (10-14) gain more fat. boys (12-16) gain more muscle
cultural responses to puberty
most cultures have ritual initiation into adolescence
samoa- tattoo body of boys and girls
slap girls in face to warn her of difficulties to come
orthodox women had a ritual bath called mikveh
boys often involve physical pain and violence
social responses to puberty
parent- adolescent relationships- conflicts increase and closeness decrease
mothers and adolescents touch less but communicate more
biologically based incest taboo- becomes more active
psychological responses to puberty
girls perceive menarche positively (feel more grown up)
risks and benefits of early or late maturation for girls
early maturation- can be negative
at risk for depression, negative body image, substance abuse, conflict with parents, eating disorders
late maturation- fewer problems
at risk for teasing, body image
by late teens, have better body image and leaner body
risks and benefits of early or late maturation for boys
early maturation- positive
have more favorable body image, higher popularity, better at physical activities
later maturation- negative
greater risk for alcohol/drug abuse, lower grades, delinquency, deviant behavior
what physiological processes have been completed by early adulthood
physical growth and cns is completed by mid 20s
myelination of frontal cortex complete
frontal cortex fully developed
links between frontal cortex and limbic system complete
what physical development are at peak performance
peak bone mass in 20s maximum oxygen uptake cardiac output reaction time endurance and strength immune system sexual reproduction systems are optimal
what factors can influence physical performance in early adulthood?
nutrition, sleep, stress, exercise
what is the risk level for disease and illness at this time?
low risk
what is senescence
aging begins (ages 28-29) triggered by genetics
what specific physiological processes begin senescence in early adulthood?
skin becomes thinner (wrinkles, discoloration, sagging) hair begins to gray (30) kidneys become less efficient lung deficiency farsightedness homeostasis slower organ reserve declines (physical exercise declines) fertility declines decrease in sexual functioning
what are some health problems that arise in emerging adulthood
highest rate of various types of disease, injury and death
poor nutrition, lack of sleep, high stress
where do cultural beliefs fit within Bronfenbrenner’s model
macrosystem
define cultural beliefs
rooted in symbolic inheritance, beliefs, ideas and understanding about persons society etc (norms and moral standards that arise from these beliefs, ideas and understandings)
expressed symbolically through stories, songs, rituals
Adolescents become increasingly aware of their cultural beliefs and roles and what is expected of them
define socialization
process by which people acquire the behaviors and beliefs of their cultures
self regulation- ability to comply with social norms
role preperation- for roles in work, gender and institutions such as marriage and parenthood
cultivation of sources of meaning- whats important, what has value
individualism vs collectivism
individualism- independence, self expression, broad socialization methods, western
collectivism- obedience, conformity, narrow socialization methods, eastern
what are the sources of socialization?
influence of friends, media, school etc increases through out adulthood and adolescence. family influence decreases
formal vs informal socialization
formal- schools, religious institutions
informal- parenting, peers
define custom complex
typical practice in a culture and the cultural beliefs that provide the basis for the practice (ex: dating in america)
complexities of cultural beliefs in multicultural societies
family, community, culture
what is the role of religious beliefs in cultural beliefs
Virtually all cultures have religious beliefs
Content of religious beliefs is often diverse
Typically contain prescriptions for socialization roles, self-regulation, sources of meaning
What is the relation of moral with cultural beliefs?
According to Jensen, the ultimate basis of morality is a person’s worldview
Set of cultural beliefs that explain what it means to be human, how human relations should be conducted, and how human problems should be addressed
Moral reasoning - explanations for why a behavior is right or wrong
Moral evaluations - judgements as to whether a behavior is right or wrong
Combination of both = moral behavior
what is Ethic of Autonomy
individual as the primary moral authority. Individuals to do what they wish as long as their behavior does no direct harm to others
(emerging adults rely on this alot)
what is Ethic of Community
individuals as members of social groups to which they have commitments and obligations. The responsibilities of roles in the community, family are the basis of one’s moral judgements
what is Ethic of Divinity
Individual as a spiritual entity, subject to the prescriptions of a divine authority. Moral views based on traditional religious authorities and religious texts (bible, Koran)
What is the relation of political beliefs with cultural beliefs?
Tend to be skeptical of politicians
Low involvement compared to rest of the world and previous generations
Emerging adults are more likely than older adults to be involved in organizations devoted to particular issues
Environmental protection
Efforts against war
Racism
Often frustrated and alienated from conventional politics, emerging adults often direct their energy toward specific areas of importance to them where they believe they are more likely to see genuine progress
