Adolescent Psych Test 1

adolescence

• a cultural phenomenon that describes the period when puberty begins and ends at adulthood

• apprx ages 10-18

How did Plato and Aristotle view adolescence?

They viewed adolescence as the third distinct stage of life, after infancy and childhood

puberty

the biological changes involved in reaching physical and sexual maturity

Contexts (for development)

Settings that contribute to variations in adolescent development, such as peers, work, school, etc.

comparisons between adolescents from developed vs developing countries

• 20% of the world's population accounts for 50% of the world's income

• 235m children have no access to school

• global literacy and mathematics have been declining since 2019

how has the world become more homogenous due to globalization?

• 70% of the world has a smartphone subscription (this means teens are listening to the same music, watching the same shows, and using social media)

• adolescents are increasingly having a bicultural identity (one that aligns with cultural traditions and one that aligns with the online community)

what does having a bicultural identity mean?

adolescents have one identity that aligns with local traditions and practices, and one that aligns with their preferred online community

cautionary note on adolescent research

• majority of empirical research done on adolescents has been conducted in the west (even though they are the minority)

• this is slightly problematic, however basic brain functioning applies universally

CDC Youth Risk Survey

• a study examining the % of high school students engaging in risky behaviors (sex and alcohol consumption)

• the graph suggests risky behavior in adolescents is sharply declining

Considerations for defining adolescence

• in contemporary times, adolescence is beginning and ending earlier

• better prenatal and early years care (access to nutrition + healthcare) has caused puberty to begin earlier

• more individuals are going to high school and post secondary education, so adult obligations are beginning later

• avg. age of menarche is increasing

Emerging adulthood

the period in which individuals aged 18-25 from developed countries become more independent from parents

criteria for adulthood/emerging adulthood ending

• accepting responsibility for oneself

• making independent decisions

• being financially independent

• partaking in cultural specifics (ex: military service, supporting family/parents, marriage)

adolescence is a .

cultural construct

Examples of cultural influences on adolescents

• Africa = emphasis on cultural tradition

• Middle East = Islam and modesty in girls

• Asia = emphasis on education and filial piety

• India = embrace family and low education

• Latin America = + education and - in teen births

Scientific Method

• identify a research question

• propose a hypothesis

• choose a research measurement + design

• collect data

• draw conclusions

what is the difference between cross-sectional and longitudinal studies?

• cross sectional = data with people of the same ages is collected at a single point in time

• longitudinal = same people are followed over time and data is collected on numerous occasions

Sapiens lab study

• examined the relationship between mental health quotient and age of first smartphone ownership

• higher well being scores where associated with later ownership of smartphone

• women experienced lower mental health scores

takeaway from sapien labs study

• correlation does not equal causation

• there may be external and societal factors influencing a relationship

Sleep, screen and vigilance study: Methods

• Sample = youth aged 12-19

• 2 week baseline measurement recording evening and sleep habits

• 40 minute sleep habit intervention

• 2 week intervention phase, with no screens after 9pm on school nights

Sleep, screen time and vigilance study: intervention results

• there was less screen time after 9pm after the intervention

• more screen time after 9pm = less hours slept

• off screen activities after 9 had no impact on sleep

sleep, screen time, and vigilance study: attention task results

• sleeping more increased performance in a sustained response attention task

• participants reaction time increased between phase 1 and 2

social media and body image study: methods

• sample = 144 adolescent girls

• experimental group was shown 10 altered instagram photos, while the control was shown 10 original photos

• participants completed self-reports to measure social comparison

social media and body image study: results

• body image ratings did not change for girls who score lower on social comparison

• girls higher in social comparison experienced lower body image after viewing the altered photos

• there was a short term negative effect

Questionnaire measurement advantages/disadvantages

• A: large sample, quick data collection

• D: preset responses, no depth

Interview measurement advantages/disadvantages

• A: individuality and complexity

• D: time and effort for coding

Observations measurement advantages/disadvantages

• A: measures actual behavior

• D: being observed might change behavior

Biological measurement advantages/disadvantages

• A: precise data

• D: expensive, relation to behavior may be unclear

experiment design advantages/disadvantages

• A: control, identification of cause and effect

• D: may not reflect real life

Natural experiment design advantages/disadvantages

• A: illuminates relations among naturally occurring events

• D: unusual circumstances

Ethnographic design advantages/disadvantages

• A: entire span of daily life

• D: researcher must live among participants, possible biases

Case study design advantages/disadvantages

• A: rich, detailed data

• D: difficult to generalize results

Correlational design advantages/disadvantages

• A: quick and inexpensive

• D: correlations difficult to interpret

Why does an increase in white matter during adolescence lead to improved cognitive functioning?

• myelination increases white matter volume

• synaptic pruning decreases grey matter

Why are adolescents so reckless?

• puberty coincides with remodeling of dopaminergic system ( increased reward-seeking)

• public education programs are not effective

• subcortical limbic regions mature faster then the prefrontal cortex

why does risk taking decline in adulthood?

• better cognitive control and self-regulation

• experience shapes functional connectivity between regions and provides a mechanism for controlling the drives

dopaminergic system

• made up of the amygdala, nucleus acumens, orbitofrontal cortex, medial frontal cortex, superior temporal sulcus

• contains a surplus of dopamine receptors

• responds to social stimuli

changes to to the dopaminergic system during adolescence

• age 10 = dopamine receptor density decreases in striatum/PFC

• early adolescence = dopamine activity increases

• system becomes more sensitive to rewards, specially in the Prescence of peers

sensation seeking and impulsivity study: method

• sample = 935 individuals aged 10-30

• completed self report surveys on sensation seeking and impulsivity

• completed behavioral measures (tower of london task + driving simulation paradigm

Tower of London task

a problem solving task involving moving tower pieces to reach an end goal in as little moves as possible

Driving simulation paradigm from sensation seeking study

• you have to go from point A to B in under 2 minutes

• you need to go through 8 intersections to get there and make safe stops

• your goal is to get to the end as safe as you can, crashing = time lost

sensation seeking and impulsivity study: results for self-report

• impulsivity steadily decreases with age

• sensation seeking peaks at 12-15, then declines with age

• you get smarter from childhood to adolescence but you become more sensation seeking

sensation seeking and impulsivity study: behavioral measure results

• TOL task: With increasing difficulty, older participants still took longer to make their first move, whereas younger participants did not change their behavior

• driving paradigm: 16-17ya made the most safe stops