Week 3 - Puberty Flashcards
What is puberty?
-experienced in adolescence
- helps to propel them in the direction of physical and sexual maturity
What bodily system is most important in puberty?
Endocrine system
What organ largely controls the endocrine system?
Hypothalmus
What is the hypothalmus?
-monitors and directs hunger, thirst, and sex drive
- checks and responds to different levels of hormones
What does the hypothalmus do if a hormone’s set point decreases?
sends out signal to produce MORE of the hormone
What does the hypothalmus do if a hormone’s set point increases?
sends out a different signal to CUT DOWN production of hormone
What is the master gland of the endocrine system?
Pituitary gland
What does the pituitary gland do?
controls other endocrine glands by sending out hormones that make them change the way they operate
What are the “gonads” in the endocrine system?
-ovaries in female
-testes in males
-major source of sex hormones (estrogen and androgen/testosterone)
What is the “HPG Axis”?
- made up of hypothalamus, pituitary, and gonads
- feedback loop
What hormone does the hypothalmus release in the HPG axis response?
gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)
What hormone does the pituitary produce in the HPG axis response?
Luitenizing hormone (LH)
Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
What is the response when the LH and FSH reach the gonads in the HPG axis?
increase production of sex hormone
When there is enough sex hormones produced, we get a negative feedback loop response and it signals to the hypothalamus to inhibit releasing GnRH, which triggers pituitary to inhibit producing LH and FSH, which triggers gonads to reduce sex hormone production. True or false?
true
Do boys or girls levels of testosterone rise more before puberty?
girls
What is a common physical developmental characteristic that we see in puberty?
Growth spurts!
Girls start growing earlier but finish grow spurts 2 years earlier than boys. True or false?
True
How much of our body weight is put on during adolescence?
half!
more muscle in males and fat in females
What happens for the sexual development in Females during puberty?
-ovaries start producing more estrogen (triggered by LH and FSH)
- follicles start developing (what each egg is enclosed in)
- uterus gets longer and changes shape
- vagina gets longer
- external genitals thicken and deepen in colour
What happens for the sexual development in Males during puberty?
- testes grow quickly (6x speed!)
- once testes mature, they start to produce sperm very early
Do females and males both have mature eggs and sperm at birth?
No!
Females have immature eggs at birth
Males do not have sperm until testes are mature during puberty is when they start producing
What consists of the stages of puberty?
- development on secondary sex characteristics (pubic hair, breasts, etc..)
What is the secular trend of menarche?
- average age for girls to get their period is 13 but is decreasing significantly since 20th century when it was 14+
reasons for this:
- heredity (age when mom, grandma,etc)
- better nutrition
- more education
- less stress on the body
- higher SES have their periods earlier
- improved living conditions
What are the 3 hypotheses regarding puberty and timing?
- Deviance
- Stage Termination
- Adult Resemblance
What is the “Deviance Hypothesis”?
those who enter puberty at a time noticeably DIFFERENT from their peers will be NEGATIVELY affected
What is the “Stage Termination Hypothesis”?
girls who enter puberty early suffer because they did not have time to accomplish normal tasks of childhood
What is the “Adult Resemblance Hypothesis”?
young adolescents who seem more adult-like will be treated more as adults (better or for worse)
What are some parental responses to puberty (3)?
- parent-child conflict
- gender intensification (push towards traditional gender roles)
- Distancing hypothesis (less parent-child intimacy)
What are some big brain developments that happen during adolescence?
- synaptic pruning (use it or lose it!)
- increase in mylenation –> more efficient
- pleasure centers mature more quickly
- decision making centers maturing slowly
Can we get mood swings during puberty due to hormones or social stressors?
YES!
How does puberty affect our body image?
puts more attnetion on our body
could lead to self esteem issues
media enhances stereotypes
What does sleep and exercise do for us during adolescent development?
- not sleeping = emotional/academic problems
-need more calories
- physicial activity decreases
- exercise and sleep can boost your mood and have physical benefits too!
