PSY224 Exam 1

NOT DONE!

What signifies the beginning and the end of the adolescent period (various biological and social markers)?

The beginning is composed of puberty, new relationships, and new thinking

The end is when one reaches a maximum in independence and is seggsually mature

What are some key differences (mixed messages) in how society deals with the status of adolescents at different ages?

What are the Major Supreme Court cases involving adolescents and the 8th amendment(CRUEL AND UNUSUAL)?

(When it was determined that the role of adolescent brain development was impacting court decisions)

Roper v. Simmons (2005) [The case that terminated death penalty for minors]

Miller v. Alabama (2012) [Mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole for homicidal crimes unconstitutional for youth]

Graham v. Florida (2010) [Life sentence without the possibility of parole for non-homicidal crimes unconstitutional for youth]

Define the early, middle, and late substages of adolescence 

Early (10-13 years) Puberty Era - One has social interactions across all genders —

Middle (14-17 years) Teen Era - Increased independence (e.g., driving, job) —

Late (18-mid 20s) Transition Era - Moving Out, College, Full time job

Who was G. Stanley Hall?

The father of scientific study of adolescence. Came up with storm and stress idea.

Had influence over education, juvenile justice, child labor policies.

What did Margaret Mead argue?

She argued that adolescence is not inherently stressful. Instead, amount of stress depends on the environment. 

Adolescence is

A social invention impacted by the economic and educational 
conditions 

Know the Demographics. How is the adolescent population increasing in the U.S, in ethnic 
minority groups and others?

Increase among ethnic minorities
— 2000: 31%
— 2010: 45%
— 2023: 50%
— 2100: projected to be 66%

Hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal system - how does it work?

Events related to triggering this system begin the pubertal process. IE: amounts of melatonin secreted by the pineal gland decreases and increases in leptin and kisspeptin are seen

What is the measured growth spurt in females and males (females 2 years earlier, on average)? 

Girls experience hight changes at 10 years old and grow about 3-1/2 inches per year for 2 years Growth usually ceases at about age 17 years.

Males grow at about 12 years old and grow about 4 inches per year for 2 years— —

Growth usually ceases at about age 20 years.

Asynchronous growth - What is the muscle to fat ratio for females and males?

Males’ muscle to fat ratio is 3:1; females’ ratio is smaller - 5:4  

Do people keep the same body shape after puberty?

Yes generally, a person maintains the same body shape after puberty as they had before puberty 

What happens to the Basal metabolic rate after puberty?

Basal metabolic rate decreases, especially in females (can be increased through exercise) 

What factors delay the onset of puberty?

Lack of proper nutrition, small weight, small body fat percentage, chronic 
illness, stress in the family environment, brings delayed puberty.

The average age of puberty has been decreasing over the past century across ethnic 
groups and in different geographical areas. Why?

Improved health and nutrition bring quicker puberty. The decrease in age of pubertal onset has continued, though this decline has slowed down considerably in recent years. 

What other factors bring earlier puberty?

Obesity (related to amounts of leptin), exposure to certain chemicals (e.g., DDT, PCBs, phthalates, Bisphenol), artificial hormones in food, or extra exposure to light

Is there more or less trauma related to puberty in this day and age?

Less! The greater availability of information makes puberty less 
mysterious and scary. Girls and boys now typically talk amongst themselves about such events.

What changes in the brain during puberty?

Notably there is, asynchronous growth (back to front), increase in connections among 
areas, continued development of prefrontal cortex, limbic system, and temporal 
lobes (remember that the “accelerator” develops before the “brakes”). Synaptic 
pruning and myelination are also occurring, allowing for more efficiency in 
cognitive processing 

What are the 4 stages in Piaget’s theory?

Sensorimotor, PreOperational, Concrete Operational, Formal Operational

(They are different ways of thinking)

Piaget- What is Formal operational thinking and when does it occur?

11-12 It emerges more gradually than Piaget first proposed Formal operational abilities include hypothetical-deductive reasoning and metacognition.  

What is Psychometric approach

Psychometric approach assesses verbal and nonverbal abilities, compares an individual’s performance to population norms (e.g., IQ scores normed such that an average IQ = 100)  

Whats wrong with IQ/aptitude tests?

IQ/aptitude tests are culturally unfair, cause test anxiety, and test only a certain kind of intelligence

What is Information Processing Perspective?

It occurs when adolescents show improvements in processing speed, automaticity of processing, selective and divided attention (though still limits in this – e.g., texting and driving), and short- and long-term memory (better organizational strategies, improved metamemory, use of mneumonic devices)  

What does Decision making Advance mean?

Occurs when adolescents are more likely than children to generate multiple options, can examine a situation from a variety of perspectives, anticipate the consequences of decisions, and consider the credibility of sources.

Limitations: subject to biases, vulnerable to peer pressure, impacted by ones brain development, Sometimes adolescents may prioritize consequences in different ways (e.g., more important to have a suntan now than to be concerned about skin cancer later in life).

What is Adolescent egocentrism?

When one has an “imaginary” audience. One could feel always on “on stage” being judged. Or thinking “no one can understand me;” or feeling invulnerable “nothing bad can happen to me”

What are the differences in the levels of androgens and estrogens in boys and girls?

Females: 8X increase in estrogen level —

Males: 18X increase in androgen level

How has adolescence has been viewed over various historical periods? (e.g., agrarian society, fostering out, industrialization and urbanization, compulsory education)

The length of the adolescent period has increased over history why? (focus on both biological and social reasons for why the adolescent period is both starting earlier and ending later)

Bio: More food availability provides more body weight leading to younger puberty. There are hormones in our food that bring puberty.

Social: The introduction of schools and being around more prepubescents brought younger puberty due to more exposure to hormones

Describe the series of events that characterize sexual maturation in females and in males. (Note that the sequence of events is more regular in males.) 

At what time does puberty begin (timing) and how long it can take (tempo) for girls and boys?

(timing and tempo are NOT related)

Average Start for Girls: 10-1/2 yrs —

Can take 1-1/2 to 6 years

Average Start for Boys: 12-1/2 yrs

Can take 2-5 years

What are the psychological and social implications of early vs. late maturation 
for boys vs. girls?

(Early girls and late boys tend to have the most difficulties.)