Week 2 - Chapter 2 Flashcards
What is the history of the word ‘puberty’?
Puberty is derived from the Latin word puberscere, which means ‘to grow hairy’
At puberty, the body undergoes a biological revolution that dramatically changes the adolescent’s ________, _________, and ______________
anatomy, physiology; physical appearance
The _________ system consists of glands in various parts of the body
endocrine
The glands in the endocrine system release chemicals called __________, which affect the development and functioning of the body
hormones
Where do the hormonal changes of puberty begin?
The hypothalamus
What is the hypothalamus?
A bean sized structure located in the lower part of the brain, beneath the cortex.
What does the hypothalamus do?
It has profound and diverse effects on physiological and psychological motivation and functioning in areas such as eating, drinking, and sexuality.
It also stimulates and regulates the production of hormones by other glands
What does the hypothalamus do to initiate puberty?
It increases its production of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH).
The hypothalamus releases GnRH in pulses at intervals of about _________
2 hours
The increase in GnRH begins in ____________, at least a year or two before even the earliest bodily changes of puberty
middle childhood
Fat cells produce a protein called ______, which provides the signal to the hypothalamus to release the GnRh
leptin
The increase in GnRH affects the ________ gland
pituitary
What are the two gonadotropins?
The follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and the luteinizing hormone (LH)
FSH and LH stimulate the development of ________
gametes
FSH and LH influence the production of sex hormones by the _______ and ______
ovaries; testes
The ovaries and testes are also known as:
the gonads (sex glands)
In response to stimulation from the FSH and LH released by the pituitary gland, the gonads increase their production of the _______
sex hormones
What are the two classes of sex hormones?
Estrogens, and androgens
What is the most important estrogen?
Estradiol
What is the most important androgen?
Testosterone
Androgens are produced not only by the sex glands but also the:
adrenal glands
What is ACTH?
Adreno-corticotropic hormone
What is the adreno-corticotropic hormone?
A hormone that causes the adrenal glands to increase androgen production
From infancy onwards, a __________ runs between the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, the gonads, and the adrenal glands
feedback loop
What does a feedback loop do?
Monitors and adjusts the levels of the sex hormones
What is a set point?
Optimal level of sex hormones in the body. When this point is reached responses in the glands of the feedback loop cause the production of sex hormones to be reduced
What is asynchronicity?
The uneven growth of different parts of the body during puberty
What is vital capacity?
The amount of air that can be exhaled after a deep breath, which increases rapidly during puberty, especially for boys
What is cardiac output?
A measure of the quantity of blood pumped by the heart; peaks at age 25
What is health promotion?
Efforts to reduce health problems in young people through encouraging changes in the behaviors that put young people at risk.
What is mikveh?
A ritual bath that Jewish Orthodox women are obliged to take a week after their period as a way of cleansing themselves of the impurity believed to be associated with menstruation
What is the theory of genotype - environment effects?
Theory that both genetics and environment make essential contributions to human development but are difficult to unravel because our genes actually influence the kind of environment we experience
What is the passive genotype - environment effects?
Situation in biological families that parents provide both genes and environment for their children, making genes and environment difficult to separate in their effects on children’s development
What is the evocative genotype - environment effects?
Occur when a person’s inherited characteristics evoke responses from others in the environment
What is the active genotype - environment effects?
Occur when people seek out environments that correspond to their genotypic characteristics
Hormonal changes lead to changes in ________ functioning and to the development of primary and secondary sex characteristics
physical
The hormonal changes of puberty begin in the __________, initiated when a threshold level of _____ is reached
hypothalamus; leptin
What is the earliest sign of puberty for both boys and girls?
The adolescent growth spurt
What are the differences between primary and secondary sex characteristics?
Primary sex characteristics are related directly to reproduction, and secondary sex characteristics develop at puberty but are not directly related to reproduction
Menarche effects occur when a person’s inherited characteristics evoke responses from others in their _____________
environment
