Developmental Psych Unit 3

What is adolescence?

Period of transition between childhood and adulthood

When does it start

Girls- first period

When does it end

When you’re independent

Synaptogenesis

Creation of synapses

Pruning

Lose connections we don’t use

Long-term potentiation

Strengthening of synaptic connections

Neurobiology of adolescent risk-taking

• Adolescents more prone to risk-taking behaviors than adults

• Educating adolescents about dangers of risky behaviors only partially successful

Lab research about adolescent risk-taking

Evidence provided that adolescents were good at estimating risk in judgement tasks and that reasoning improves gradually

Two competing biological systems (adolescent risk-taking)

• Logical reasoning

• Emotional/social reasoning

Chein et al. research (driving)

• When adolescents have peers in the car, they are more likely to make risky decisions

• When adolescents are alone, they perform about the same as young adults and adults

Consequences of formal operational thinking

• Adolescent egocentrism

• Argumentativeness

• Idealism and criticism

Kuhn and Crowell research (classes)

Found exposure to abstract reasoning/ formal operational thinking can facilitate the development of formal operational thinking

Identity vs. identity diffusion central process

Role experimentation

Identity diffused status (Marcia’s statuses)

Low exploration, low commitment

Identity foreclosed (Marcia’s statuses)

Low exploration, high commitment

Identity moratorium (Marcia’s statuses)

High exploration, low commitment

• College students likely here

Identity achieved (Marcia’s statuses)

High exploration, high commitment

Negative identity

Foreclosed identity with socially negative commitments. Me vs. society mindset

Bishop et al. research (identity and alcohol measures)

In high school and college, those with diffused identities drink more alcohol on average

MAMA cycle

Moratorium- Achieved- Moratorium- Achieved

Intimacy vs. isolation central process

Mutuality among peers

Intimacy and identity

Some people try to get/find identity through seeking intimate relationships

Sociobiological view of moral development

Self-sacrificial behavior so that genes can survive

Psychoanalytic view of moral development

Superego (morality) comes from parents

Social learning view of moral development

See other’s behaviors and results and learn from that

Level 1, stage 1 morality (Kohlberg)

Punishment and obedience orientation. Externally motivated, right and wrong based on punishment possibilities

Level 1, stage 2 morality (Kohlberg)

Instrumental purpose orientation. Right and wrong based on reward of actions/ avoidance of punishment

Level 2, stage 3 morality (Kohlberg)

Good-person orientation. Right and wrong based on how others will see you

Level 2, stage 4 morality (Kohlberg)

Social-order-maintaining orientation. Act is wrong if it violates a rule and/or it could harm society

Level 3, stage 5 morality (Kohlberg)

Social-contract orientation. Based on principles, and principles can overrule a rule

Level 3, stage 6

Universal ethical principles orientation. Have to think about all others involved, not just yourself

Hamlin, Wynn, and Bloom (morality research)

Children prefer puppets who are seen as the helpful/good puppets. They want harm done to the bad puppets

Moral reasoning

Conscious mental activity that consists of transforming given information about people in order to reach a moral judgement. Intentional and effortful

Moral intuition

The sudden appearance in consciousness of a moral judgement, including an affective valence, without any conscious awareness of having thought about it