Week 9.1

Puberty

A period of rapid physical and sexual maturation during early adolescence, driven by hormonal changes (estrogen and testosterone). Includes growth spurts, increased height/weight, and development of sexual characteristics.

Timing of puberty

Girls generally begin puberty earlier than boys. Timing varies based on nutrition, stress, exercise, eating patterns, and other biological/environmental factors.

Early vs. late maturation in girls

Early maturation is associated with greater body dissatisfaction and emotional difficulties. Later-maturing girls tend to have lower rates of depression.

Early vs. late maturation in boys

Early-maturing boys tend to be more athletic and popular. Late-maturing boys may experience greater social and emotional difficulties.

Physical activity in adolescence

Recommended 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity daily. Benefits cardiovascular health, muscle strength, motor control, cognition, and mental health. Activity generally declines during adolescence.

Delayed phase preference

Biological shift toward falling asleep and waking later during adolescence, influenced by melatonin timing. Early school start times can contribute to sleep deprivation, impairing memory, executive function, and processing speed.

Prefrontal cortex development

Continues developing into young adulthood. Responsible for judgment, planning, impulse control, decision-making, and regulating intense emotions.

Corpus callosum development

Thickens during adolescence, improving communication between the brain's hemispheres and making information processing more efficient.

Limbic system and amygdala

Limbic system processes emotions and rewards and develops earlier than full prefrontal control. Amygdala is especially involved in emotional processing.

Adolescent brain development and risk-taking

Emotion/reward systems develop earlier than the prefrontal cortex, contributing to emotional intensity, impulsivity, reward-seeking, and sometimes poor judgment, especially under peer pressure.

Piaget's formal operational stage

Final cognitive stage, beginning around age 12. Adolescents develop abstract, logical, and systematic reasoning and can consider hypothetical situations and possibilities.

Concrete vs. formal operational thinking

Concrete operational (7–11): logical reasoning about real objects/events. Formal operational (12+): abstract and hypothetical reasoning about what could happen.

Hypothetical-deductive reasoning

Ability to develop hypotheses, systematically test possible explanations, and draw logical conclusions. Example: testing whether sunlight, water, or soil is causing a plant to grow poorly.

Information processing changes in adolescence

Working memory, executive functioning, processing speed, and metacognition improve. Adolescents hold/manipulate more information, think faster, and use memory strategies more effectively.

Executive functioning and response inhibition

Executive function supports planning, organization, cognitive flexibility, and self-control. Response inhibition means stopping or controlling an automatic response, such as resisting a distraction.

Adolescent egocentrism

Difficulty separating one's own thoughts and experiences from others' perspectives, sometimes leading to exaggerated feelings of being observed or uniquely different.

Imaginary audience

Belief that everyone is watching, noticing, or judging you. Example: believing everyone at school notices a small pimple on your face.

Personal fable

Belief that one's experiences are unique and that one may be invulnerable to consequences. Example: "Nobody understands me" or "I won't get hurt like other people."

Transition to middle or junior high school

School transitions often cause temporary grade declines and adjustment difficulties due to new academic demands, social environments, and increased independence.

Stage-environment fit

How well a school environment matches an adolescent's developmental needs. Poor fit, such as limited autonomy when independence is increasing, may worsen adjustment and academic performance.

School dropout: trends and outcomes

U.S. dropout rates are historically low (~6% in lecture). Substance use and behavioral problems predict dropout; school-connected activities reduce risk. Dropout is associated with higher adult unemployment.

Adolescent self-concept and self-esteem

Self-concept becomes more complex, abstract, and future-oriented, including the ideal self (who one hopes to become). Self-esteem often declines around age 13 and is influenced by valued achievements, relationships, culture, and identity.

Erikson's identity vs. role confusion stage

Adolescent psychosocial stage focused on answering "Who am I?" Adolescents explore personal values, beliefs, careers, and relationships to develop a stable identity rather than identity confusion.

Psychosocial moratorium and identity achievement

Psychosocial moratorium = period of exploring identities without lasting commitments. Identity achievement = exploring alternatives and then committing to a relatively stable identity.

Marcia's four identity statuses

Identity achievement = exploration + commitment; moratorium = exploration without commitment; foreclosure = commitment without exploration; diffusion = neither exploration nor commitment.

Identity foreclosure vs. identity diffusion

Foreclosure: committing to an identity without exploring alternatives (e.g., choosing parents' career). Diffusion: neither exploring nor committing to an identity or future direction.

Kohlberg's postconventional morality

Moral reasoning guided by universal ethical principles, justice, and individual rights, even when they conflict with laws. Associated with later development, but not everyone reaches this level.

Gilligan's care perspective vs. Kohlberg's justice perspective

Gilligan emphasizes empathy, relationships, and responsibility toward others. Kohlberg emphasizes justice, individual rights, fairness, and moral principles. Care asks "Who will be affected?" while justice asks "What is fair?"