Week 15: Adolescence, Emerging Adulthood, Aging

Question 1

Adolescence

Answer 1

Period of transformation physically, cognitively, socially, and relationally
Starts w puberty (age 10-11 girls, 11-12 boys)
Has decreased bc of better nutrition, increased father absence, etc
End of adolescence = adulthood, graduation, financial independence, marriage, etc

Question 2

Emerging adulthood

Answer 2

Development change out of adolescence to adulthood

Question 3

Physical Adolescence

Answer 3

growth spurt, hair growth, skin change, voice drop in boys, breast development/menstruation in girls
- driven by HORMONES -> increase testosterone (boys) and estrogen (girls)

Question 4

Cognitive Adolescence

Answer 4

concrete => abstract, complex thinking
- fostered by improvements in early adolescence in attention, memory, processing speed, metacognition
- changes in dopaminergic sys contribute to increase in sensation-seeking and reward motivation
- late adolescence = development of prefrontal cortex (increase self reg and future orientation, delay means more likely to take risky behaviours)

Question 5

Metacognition

Answer 5

ability to think about thinking and therefore make better use of strategies like mnemonic devices

Question 6

Adolescence Social: Parents

Answer 6

More distal supervision and monitoring
(Parents attempts to set rules, know about their friends, etc)

Question 7

Psychological control

Answer 7

manipulation and intrusion into adolescents emotional and cognitive world by invalidating adolescents feelings and pressuring

Question 8

Adolescents Social: Peers

Answer 8

More time spent w peers than family
More intimate exchanges of thoughts
- Peer groups are more mixed-sex
- Peer groups are usually similar individuals

Question 9

Homophily

Answer 9

Adolescents associate themselves with more similar peers

Question 10

Deviant peer contagion

Answer 10

Spread of problem behaviours within groups of adolescents

Question 11

Crowds

Answer 11

Adolescent peer groups characterized by shared reputation/image
- Diff from friendships
- Reflects diff prototypic identities and linked with social status/peers perceptions of values and behaviours

Question 12

Romantic Relationships

Answer 12

• Usually start in adolescence bc friend groups becoming mixed sex
• Often short-lived
• Contribute to identity formation, relationships, and emotions/behaviours
• Centrally connected to emerging sexuality

Question 13

Identity Formation: Erikson’s Theory

Answer 13

• Erikson’s theory of development stages, identity formation is a primary indicator of successful development during adolescence

Question 14

Identity Formation: Marcia

Answer 14

Identity formation involves both decision points and commitments with respect to ideologies and occupations
- Foreclosure
- Identity diffusion
- Moratorium
- Identity achievement

Question 15

Forclosure

Answer 15

When individual commits to identity w/o exploring options
High commitment and low exploration

Question 16

Identity diffusion

Answer 16

Adolescents don’t explore, not committing to identities
Low exploration and low commitment

Question 17

Moratorium

Answer 17

Adolescents explore identities but haven’t made yet commitments
High exploration low commitment

Question 18

Identity achievement

Answer 18

Individuals have explored identities and have commited
High exploration and commitment

Question 19

Phiney

Answer 19

Possibility of ethnic identity, its search, and how its achieved

Question 20

Patterson

Answer 20

Early vs late starter model - youth w antisocial behaviour beginning in adolescence (later starters) vs childhood (early starters)
- Early starters at risk for LT antisocial behaviour that extends into adulthood compared to late starters
- Later starters theorized to experience poor parental monitoring and supervision, more pronounced during adulthood

Question 21

Moffitt

Answer 21

Life-course persistent vs. adolescent-limited model
- Adolescent-limited antisocial behaviour: due to “maturity gap” between adolescent dependence on and control by parents and desire to demonstrate constraint
- Fewer incentives to be antisocial as freedom develops => less antisocial behaviour occurs

Question 22

Anxiety and depression in adolescence

Answer 22

• In adolescence, females have 2x higher rates of anxiety and 1.5-3x higher rates of depression
• Suicide leading cause of death for adolescents
• Family adversity is a strong, foundational factor

Question 23

Academic Achievement in Adolescence

Answer 23

• Predicted by interpersonal, intrapersonal, and institution factors
• Marker of academic achievement that sets stage for future opportunities
• Most serious consequence = dropping out => unemployment

Question 24

Diversity

Answer 24

• Being raised in diff countries/enviro shape diff risk opportunities bc of geographically-dependent laws and values

Question 25

Differential susceptibility model

Answer 25

Genetic factors that make individuals more or less responsive to environmental experiences

Question 26

Emerging adulthood nowadays

Answer 26

more ppl seeking higher education
immense job instability
median age for marriage: 27(W) and 29(M)