Chapter 14 - Physical and Cognitive Development in Adolescence (Developmental Psychology)

G.S. Hall:

- A time of heightened emotionality and opposition due to raging hormones. - Consequence of evolutionary processes.

Postconventional, or Principled, Level III Stage 5 - Social-contract reasoning

- Be aware that people hold a variety of values and opinions, most of which are relative to the group that holds them -understand rules as a social contract, upheld in order to be impartial - let universal values and rights, such as life and freedom, take precedence over the majority opinion

What are examples of rites of passage in adolescence?

- Ceremonial ways - Institutional ways

Most common types of STI's

- Chlamydia - Human Papillomavirus (HPV) - Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) - Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

Postconventional, or Principled, Level III Stage 6 - Universal ethical principles

- Choose to follow universal principles of justice: human rights, equality, and respect for the dignity of each individual - evaluate laws of social agreements according to how well they exemplify such principles - let principles take priority over laws

Preconventional Level 1 Stage 2 = Instrumental morality

- Follow rules when in your best interest to do so - Act to serve your own interests and needs and allow others to do the same - be fair, seen as equal exchange

S. Freud:

- Genital stage of psychosexual development - Sexual intercourse as major motive of behavior. - Major struggle is reestablishing the balance among the id, ego, and superego.

What is precious puberty associated with?

- Higher levels of risk-taking behavior in adolescence - shorter adult stature - increased risk of overweight and obesity due to elevated BMI - increased risk of disease, including adult-onset diabetes, heart disease, and premenopausal breast cancer - increased mortality

Sleep: Chronic sleep deprivation

- Less than recommended 8 hours/night - Sleep-wake shift

Piaget's Theory of Formal Operations

- Mental operation in which all possible combination are considered in solving a problem. - Consequently, reasoning moves continually as a function of a "structured whole".

what are the two types of changes in the brain during adolescence?

- Myelination (white matter changes) - Synaptogenesis and synaptic pruning (grey matter)

Stage 6: Universal Ethical Principles: The morality of individual principles of conscience.

- Orientation not only toward existing social rules, but also toward the conscience as a directing agent, mutual trust and respect, and principles of moral choice involving logical universalities and consistency. - Action is controlled by internalized ideals that exert a pressure to act accordingly regardless of the reactions of others in the immediate environment. If one acts otherwise, self-condemnation and guilt result.

Stage 2: Instrumental Morality (7-8 year olds)

- Right action is that which is instrumental in satisfying the self's needs and occasionally others'. - Relativism of values to each actor's needs and perspectives. "Naïve" egalitarianism, orientation to exchange and reciprocity.

What factors help move individuals into formal operational thinking?

- Socio-cognitive conflict - Social interaction presents new points of view - Upsets the balance in current level of understanding (reasoning)- disequilibrium

Preconventional Level 1 Stage 1 = Heteronomous morality

- conform to rules - obey for the sake of obedience - avoid causing physical harm to objects or people

How are girls treated when they hit puberty early?

- early maturing girls can be magnets of unwanted sexual attention from older boys - they have trouble sharing the trials and tribulations of puberty with their less mature girlfriends - parents/teachers/peers expect more mature behavior

Conventional Level II Stage 3 - Good-child morality

- live up to expectations of this who are close to you - have good intentions and concern for others - show trust, loyalty, respect, and gratitude -- all fundamental mutual relationships

What are the consequences for hitting puberty early for men?

- lower self-control - less emotional stability - form friendships with older peers that promote risk-taking + rebelliousness - delinquency - substance abuse - academic problems

How are boys treated when they hit puberty early?

- tend to be more popular - more athletic body capable of higher levels of athletic performance - adjust well when puberty occurs early

Higher levels of physical activity leads to improved ...

- well-being - less depression - better parental relationships, - higher academic performance - less sedentary activities = decreases risk for obesity

Rate of STI's _______ of all 14-19 year old

20-25%

Rate of Teen Pregnancy in the USA:

7.5 -8%

subjectivist theory of knowledge

A belief that there is no absolute truth because truth can change depending on one's perspective.

hypothalamic-pituuitary-gonadal axis (HPG)

A circuit that extends from the brain to the sex organs (testes or ovaries) and back again: activated in adolescence, the HPG regulates the hormones that affect the body's growth and functions.

endocrine system

A network of hormone-secreting glands associated with changes in the individual's mood, metabolism, and growth. The glands associated specifically with puberty include the pituitary gland, the thyroid gland, the adrenal glands, and the sex glands (gonads).

delayed circadian phase

A shift in the sleep-wake pattern in which adolescents tend to stay up later at night than they did as children and they sleep later in the morning.

reward system

Areas of the limbic system associated with motivations to seek resources critical to individual and species survival, such as food, shelter, and sex.

There is a gender difference in age and first-time feelings in first-time intercourse

Boys tended to have sex younger than girls. Girls had more mixed feelings about their first time than boys, who mostly wanted it.

Adolescence is a A time of "storm and stress"...(G. Stanley Hall)

Changes in: - Physical development - Intellectual development - Sexual maturation

There are ________ variations and societal expectations when it comes to sex

Cultural Variations and societal expectations

___________ __________ may have different moral outlooks that Kohlberg's theory does not account for.

Eastern cultures

Stage 1 = Heteronomous morality

Egocentric deference to superior power, or a trouble-avoiding set. Objective responsibility.

Morality of justice

Emphasizes issues of rightness, fairness, and equality.

sex hormones

Estrogens and androgens that circulate in the bloodstream and activate hormone-perceiving receptors located throughout the body.

T/F Secular Trend: A historical increase in the age of onset.

FALSE - Secular Trend: A historical decrease in the age of onset.

T/F Due to the changes in myelination and synaptogenesis in the brain, there is a decreased vulnerability to teratogens.

FALSE - increased vulnerability to teratogens.

T/F Late maturation leads to reproductive failure.

False - Late maturation leads to reproductive success.

What are possible influences that may contribute to the timing of puberty?

Genetic factors -identical twins reach puberty at the same age. -different ethnic groups differ in the age of onset of menarche. (African American > Hispanic > White) Environmental factors -caloric intake and body fat (under nutrition and obesity) -stress and depression

formal operations

In Piaget's terms, mental operations in which all possible combinations are considered in solving a problem. Consequently, each partial link is grouped in relationships to the whole; in other words, reasoning moves continually as a function of a structured whole.

Maturation of testes

Lead to sperm production semenarche.

Maturation of ovaries

Leads to ovulation and then menarche

What are the hormones linked to triggering puberty?

Leptin and Kisspeptin

Variability in formal operational reasoning

Many people do not reach formal operations and this variability occurs both between and within cultures.

What are the consequences for hitting puberty early for women?

May develop: - depressive disorders - eating disorders - anxiety - poor self-esteem. At risk for: - problems in school - engaging in delinquent behaviors - abusing drugs + alcohol - having sex earlier

Level II: Conventional/Role Conformity

Moral values reside in performing the right role, in maintaining the conventional order and expectancies of others as a value in its own right.

Level III: Postconventional (Self-Accepted) Moral Principles

Morality is defined in terms of conformity to shared standards, rights, or duties apart from supporting authority. The standards conformed to are internal, and action-decisions are based on an inner process of thought and judgment concerning right and wrong.

Stage 5: Contractual/legalistic orientation

Norms of right and wrong are defined in terms of laws or institutionalized rules which seem to have a rational basis. When conflict arises between individual needs and law or contract, though sympathetic to the former, the individual believes the latter must prevail because of its greater functional rationality for society, the majority will and welfare.

Stage 4: Authority and social-order-maintaining morality (Early Adolescence)

Orientation to "doing duty" and to showing respect for authority and maintaining the given social order or its own sake. Regard for earned expectations of others. Differentiates actions out of a sense of obligation to rules from actions for generally "nice" or natural motives.

Stage 3: Good-child morality (10 - 11 years old)

Orientation to approval, to pleasing and helping others. Conformity to stereotypical images of majority or natural role behavior. Action is evaluated in terms of intentions.

How do adolescent teens learn about sex?

Parents, Peers, Media, Educational programs

Growth Spurt Physical changes: Gender differences:

Physical changes: skeletal growth, bone mass, height Gender differences: body shape, strength

Kohlberg has 6 moral stages within 3 different levels. Levels are?

Preconventional Level 1 Conventional Level II Postconventional, or Principled, Level III

During Puberty there is development of _________ & ________ Sex Characteristics

Primary & Secondary Sex Characteristics

Why did schooling change?

Simultaneously there was a need for a more educated workforce which translated to more years of technical and more sophisticated education training.

Kohlberg has 6 moral stages within 3 different levels. Stages are?

Stage 1 = Heteronomous morality Stage 2 = Instrumental morality Stage 3 = Good-child morality Stage 4 = Law-and-order morality Stage 5 = Social-contract reasoning Stage 6 = Universal ethical principles

Morality of care

Stresses relationships, compassion, and social obligations.

What part of the brain changes in adolescence?

The cerebral cortex (frontal lobes) and the limbic system

semenarche

The first ejaculation. Ejaculation often occurs spontaneously during sleep and is called nocturnal emission.

What are some critiques Kohlberg's theory might have?

The most important criticism has to do with the "nature of morality" being too narrow. Critics have pointed out that Kohlberg's theory of moral development overemphasizes the concept as justice when making moral choices.

During the industrial revolution, teenagers were both joining the workforce and "getting into trouble".

Thus the beginning of social programs and services that structured adolescent's free time. A.K.A The Juvenile Protective Association

T/F Humans are the only species that also experience a growth spurt in middle childhood - early adolescence.

True

T/F This spurt of synaptogenesis, followed by a period of synaptic pruning, parallels the pattern of brain development during infancy.

True

Conventional Level II Stage 4 -- Law and order morality

Uphold the law

Kohlberg's stages Reflects moral views of __________ __________

Western culture

evaluates theory of knowledge

a belief that although truth can change, it is nevertheless subject to particular standards of evaluation -- "the rules of the game."

objectivist theory of knowledge

a belief that knowledge involves an accumulation of objective facts and "definite answers"

Hypothalamus

a brain structure, located just above the brain stem, that performs a number of important tasks, including the regulation of hunger, thirst, and sexual desire, and connects the nervous system to the endocrine system.

leptin

a hormone that plays a key role in appetite and metabolism

morality of justice

a morality that emphasizes issues of rightness, fairness, and equality

morality of care

a morality that stresses relationships, compassion, and social obligations

secular trend

a pattern in which the average age of puberty in industrialized countries declines across decades

growth spurt

a rapid change in height and weight that signals the onset of puberty

precocious puberty

a serious condition that involves the activation of the HPG axis before the age of 8 in girls and 9 in boys

kisspeptin

a small protein that is produced by specialized cells in the hypothalamus and plays a key role in the activation of the HPG axis

Moral reasoning at stage 4 starts to appear in _______________

adolescence

Secondary Sex Characteristics in girls

breasts, hips and pubic hair

"reasoning brain"

cerebral cortex

multitasking

cognitive processes involving attending and responding to multiple sources of information simultaneously

Hypothetical-deductive reasoning

determining the difference between truth and logic.

Secondary Sex Characteristics in boys

enlargement of larynx and testes, facial hair and pubic hair

Complex changes to organization and functioning are mostly found in the _______ _______ .

frontal lobes.

Moral ______________ involve quick gut feelings or affect laden intuitions. Moral ___________ is how we convince others of our feeling.

judgments reasoning

Many in the United States lack _____________ and quality ____________ .

lack of micronutrients and quality macronutrients

"emotional brain"

limbic system

Changes in the frontal lobes are, evolutionarily, the more recent addition to the cortex (neocortex) and are responsible for ...

memory, decision making, reasoning, impulse control, multitasking.

Frequently, stage 3 is still dominant until ________ _______ . And, very few people ever reach stage ___

mid-20s. stage 5

Primary Sex Characteristics is the maturation of _________ and ___________

ovaries and testes

Historically viewed as an important transition period of both _____ and __________ .

peril and promise.

hypothetical-deductive reasoning

reasoning that involves the ability to judge an argument entirely on the basis of its logical form, regardless of whether the argument is true

epistemic development

refers to changes in how individuals reason about the nature of knowledge

discontinuous societies

societies in which transitions to maturity are abrupt, resulting in considerable anxiety and distress.

continuous societies

societies in which transitions to maturity, including work and other adult responsibilities, are slow and steady, resulting in little emotional storm and stress.

secondary sex characteristics

the anatomical and physiological signs that outwardly distinguish males from females

menarche

the first menstrual period

dopamine

the limbic system's primary neurotransmitter, which activates the reward system.

emerging adulthood

the name of what some developmentalists propose is a new stage of development facing many individuals between the ages of 18 and 25 in technologically advanced societies.

late maturation

the occurrence of a pubertal event after the 97th percentile of the normal range.

early maturation

the occurrence of a pubertal event before the 3rd percentile of the normal range

primary sex characteristics

the organs directly involved in reproduction

puberty

the series of biological developments that transforms individuals from a state of physical immaturity into one in which they are biologically mature and capable of sexual reproduction.