Chapter 11 - Adolescent Physical and Cognitive Development

what factors correlate with pubertal timing? (split)

heredity - when did members of your family hit puberty? biological sex - females hit puberty earlier, period at 12. year and a half ahead of males. nutrition and exercise - body fat (for females higher means sooner puberty, less means later puberty). socioeconomical status - can affect nutrition and exercise, etc. ethnic group - correlates with nutrition and exercise. black kids usually hit puberty earlier. family experiences/conflict - dysfunction can lead to earlier puberty. stress affects endocrine system, which can kickstart this system for puberty. may help protect yourself, evolutionary. secular trends - changes in growth or maturation over generations. people used to be smaller. girls had their periods later.

how might a time period affect time of puberty/maturity?

war - higher levels of stress, medical innovation, technological innovation. great depression - food supply, technology. modern age - vaccines, medicine/healthcare

what is the hypothalamus?

part of the endocrine glands. controls appetite, sexual behavior, menstruation, and pregnancy through telling pituitary gland what to do

what is the pituitary gland?

the “master” gland - directly controls all of the other endocrine glands

what are some things that the pituitary gland regulates/controls?

growth, thyroid, ovaries/testes, pancreas, water and salt metabolism

what do the adrenals do?

produce most of the testosterone for females and prepare the body for flight or flight.

what is the frontal lobe tied to during puberty?

myelinization, growth of dendrites, attention and planning developing,

why might kids in this stage be more risky?

because they become more sensitive to stress, pleasure, and novelty. bodies are very responsive, and don’t think about the consequences.

what are secondary sex characteristics?

tied to body changes, not in the sex or reproductive organs - facial hair, leg hair, underarm hair, growth spurt and proportion changes, breast development, mood swings. takes 4 to 6 years to complete.

describe primary sex characteristic development.

changes the sex and reproductive organs. ovaries get larger and heavier as follicles start to mature. uterus get sbigger and lengthens. period starts.

why do women have more intenstines?

helps support pregnancy

what is the most common cause of amenorrhea in young women? (lack of menstruation)

anorexia

describe spermarche, in primary sex characteristic development.

when males first produce sperm. at about 13 and a half.

why does moodiness happen among adolescents?

hormone changes, cognitive changes, seeing many different possibilities and changes all at once. growing may be painful.

describe body image during this phase for men and women.

males start moving towards the social norm, becoming more muscular, etc. they will have higher body esteem, usually. females tend to grow away from the “ideal” image, might then develop eating disorders.

describe early maturing for girls and boys.

girls - unpopular, withdrawn low confidence. more deviant behavior. negative body image. more long-term problems. boys - popular, taller, more deviant behavior (usually gets excused), confident, independent, positive body image.

describe late maturing for boys and girls.

girls - popular, sociable, lively, school leaders, positive body image. boys - unpopular, anxious, talkative, attention-seeking. negative body image

what are the top causes of injury for adolescents?

gun violence, car crashes (distracted driving), suicide, homicide.

what is the number one natural cause of death for teenagers?

cancer - leukemia or brain cancer

what are some of the risks for teen mothers?

less educational achievement (might drop out of school), more time as single parents, economic problems (can’t pay for childcare, etc.), pregnancy and birth complications

how does abstract thought develop on adolescence?

kids can solve logical problems in their head rather than just hands-on. can argue very well, may be good at debate.

what is piaget’s hypothetico-dedictive, or deductive reasoning?

the ability to see something and come up with a testable theory/hypothesis, i.e. think hypothetically. helps with science in school

how does working memory capacity increase in adolescence?

increases to its adult level (7 or 9 bits of information).

how are people who are close minded likely to develop? (open minded is opposite)

they are less likely to develop abstract thinking skills, won’t accept contradictory evidence or are very logical, hard to argue with.

what is propositional thought?

being able to solve abstract verbal problems (ex. four card problem), and make propositions about the information that you’re given. psych and english majors would be better at it.

in terms of follow-up research on formal operational thought, how might school-age children develop abstract thinking skills?

they may develop it in their childhood (maybe even pre-schoolers) for subjects they have amassed a very large knowledge base in (ex. dinosaurs). they have difficulty with propositional thought.

is abstract thought universal?

no - studies show that up to half of people don’t develop abstract though, perhaps because of close-mindedness, people who won’t look at things from other angles.

how does argumentativeness develop in adolescence?

really increases around 12 or 13, when conflicy increases. ability to argue continues to improve across this period, but family conflict usually settles at around 15 or 16.

describe adolescent egocentrism.

related to the fact that you are able to think through others’ perspectives. i.e., you are wondering what other people think about you. (ex. imaginary audience)

what is the personal fable?

tied to the development of identity. the idea that you one is very unique and special, as they are actively trying to fit in. “you wouldn’t get it”

describe the invincibility fable.

the idea that nothing bad can happen to you. can lead to risk taking (ex. texting and driving, having unprotected sex). females will take less risks than males.

describe idealism in adolescent.

will push adolescents to reach for things, unrealistically to an extent. needs to be tempered eventually, though, otherwise it will eventually lead to pessimism.

what are some of the causes of dropping out of highschool?

family issues, school stress, teen pregnancy, financial issues

what are some of the benefits of extracurricular activities?

less antisocial, improved family relationships, better academic performance, better social skills, better self esteem