Guiding Questions Chapter 11 Study Guide 1 What is adolescence When does it begin and end What opportunities and risks does it entail Adolescence is the developmental transition between childhood and adulthood entailing major physical cognitive and psychosocial changes Puberty and adolescence were thought to begin at the same time around age 13 but now societies see pubertal changes well before age 10 Adolescence encompasses the years between 11 and 19 or 20 Puberty Onset Girls 8 9 years old Boys 9 11 years old Adolescence offers opportunities for physical growth cognitive and social competence autonomy self esteem and intimacy Adolescents face hazards that affect their physical and mental well being such as accidents homicide and suicide However since the 1990s students have become less likely to engage in these behaviors like using alcohol tobacco or marijuana riding in a car without a seatbelt or with a driver who has been drinking etc 2 What physical changes do adolescents experiences How do these changes affect them psychologically How does the timing of puberty create differences in how adolescents are affected by puberty Puberty is triggered by hormonal changes It takes about 4 years typically begins earlier in girls than in boys and ends when a person can reproduce but the timing of these events varies constantly Puberty is marked by two stages 1 the activations of the adrenal glands and 2 the maturing of the sex organs a few years later During puberty both boys and girls undergo an adolescent growth spurt The reproductive organs enlarge and mature primary sex characteristics and secondary sex characteristics appear The principle signs of sexual maturity are production of sperm and menstruation Early maturing girls are likely to start before anyone else has even thought about it they re not prepared Biggest problem getting attention from older boys Boys Girls 3 What brain developments occur during adolescence How do they affect adolescent behavior What do these brain developments mean for adolescent risk taking and the juvenile justice system The adolescent brain is not yet fully mature It undergoes a second wave of overproduction of gray matter especially in the frontal lobes followed by pruning of excess nerve cells Adolescents process information about emotions with the amygdala whereas adults use the frontal lobe Thus adolescents tend to make less accurate less reasoned judgments explains adolescents tendency toward risk taking Risk taking appears to result from the interaction of two brain networks 1 a socio emotional network that is sensitive to emotional and social stimuli peer influence and 2 a cognitive control network that regulates responses to stimuli 2 systems of the brain 1 Social Emotional Focused on rewards what feels good what is positive releases dopamine excitement and happiness develops young develops before puberty and becomes highly reactive in adolescence adolescents are drawn to any rewarding experience 2 Cognitive Control Regulation part of us that says I want to go out with my friends but I have a test tomorrow so I shouldn t do that not fully developed yet 4 What are some common health problems in adolescence How can they be prevented For the most part adolescent years are relatively healthy Health problems are often associated with poverty or lifestyle Many adolescents do not engage in enough physical activity and do not get enough sleep Three common eating disorders in adolescence 1 Anorexia Nervosa self starvation could be potentially life threatening 2 Bulimia Nervosa eating disorder in which a person regularly eats huge quantities of food and then purges the body with laxatives induced vomiting fasting or excessive exercise 3 Obesity Adolescence substance use has lessened in the recent years Marijuana alcohol and tobacco are the most popular drugs with adolescents all involve serious risks non medical use of prescription drugs is an increasing problem Leading causes of death among adolescents include motor vehicle accidents firearm use and suicide 5 How does adolescents thinking and use of language differ from younger children s They are capable of abstract reasoning and sophisticated moral judgments and can plan more realistically for the future Adolescents who reach Piaget s stage of formal operations can engage in hypothetical deductive reasoning They can think in terms of possibilities deal flexibly with problems and test hypotheses Adolescents go through two different types of changes in information processing 1 Structural Change these changes include 1 changes in working memory capacity and 2 the increasing amount of knowledge store in long term memory Information stored in long term memory can be declarative knowing that procedural knowing how to or conceptual knowing why 2 Functional Change processes for obtaining handling and retaining information Two important functional changes are 1 a continued increase in processing speed and 2 further development of executive function skills such as selective attention decision making inhibitory control of impulsive responses and management of working memory With the advent of abstract though adolescents can define and discuss such abstractions as love justice and freedom They use terms such as however otherwise anyway therefore really and probably They become more skilled in social perspective taking the ability to tailor their speech to another person s knowledge level and point of view 6 On what basis do adolescents make moral judgments According to Kohlberg moral reasoning is based on a developing sense of justice and growing cognitive abilities Kohlberg proposed that moral development progresses from external control to internalized societal standards to personal principled moral goals Kohlberg described three levels of moral reasoning 1 Level I Pre conventional morality people act under external controls obey to avoid punishment 2 Level II Conventional morality people have internalized standards of authority figures they remain good to please others Can extend a lot longer than age 13 internalized standards golden rule due unto others and you would want to you intentions become more important and begin to develop social concern what we do has an impact on what we do to others most people stay in this stage 3 Level III Post conventional morality people recognize conflicts between moral standards and make their own judgments Really evaluating all the rules based on own sense of right and
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