Adolescent Development Psychology 242 Professor Jean Rhodes

Adolescence in a Changing Population There are about 40 million year olds in the U.S. –14% of population Average age of parents is about 35 27% of all children under 18 live with one parent (mostly mothers) –29% Hispanic –53% African American 16% of children under 18 live below poverty

Today’s Adolescents Actual and Projected Number of U.S. Adolescents Aged 10-19, Fig. 1.2

Development Processes Developmental Changes are a Result of Biological, Cognitive, and Socioemotional Processes Fig. 1.3

Development Processes Biological, Cognitive, and Socioemotional Processes Biological processes Physical changes within an individual’s body.

Development Processes Biological, Cognitive, and Socioemotional Processes Cognitive processes Changes in thinking and intelligence.

Development Processes Biological, Cognitive, and Socioemotional Processes Socioemotional processes Changes in relationships, emotions, personality, and social contexts.

Adolescence 242 Assignments: Natural observation or flim clip (20%) Midterm and Final examinations (35% midterm, 40% final).: Multiple-choice, short answer, and short essay exam take will include questions about topics from the class. To do well, you will want to have studied information from class presentations and discussions, from readings, and from your observations. Attendance, reading, participation (5%)

Periods of Development Childhood –Prenatal Period –Infancy –Early Childhood –Middle and Late Childhood

Periods of Development Adolescence –Early Adolescence –Late Adolescence

Periods of Development Adulthood –Early Adulthood –Middle Adulthood –Late Adulthood

Adolescence & Early Adulthood Early adolescence –11-15 Late adolescence –18-19 Early adulthood –19-30

Historical Perspective The 20th Century –G. Stanley Hall’s Storm-and-Stress View –Margaret Mead’s Sociocultural View

Myth of Storm and Stress Most youth do not experience a stormy adolescence Those who do, often exhibit problems throughout childhood Adolescence is generally a time of continued positive relations with parents, and most adopt their parents’ values

Theories of Adolescence: G Stanley Hall Recapitulation Theory: –life-span changes mirror evolutionary changes of humans from ape-like to civilized. –First person to present a scientific theroy of developoment that thought of adolescence as a distinct portion of the life span A period of transition from being “beastlike” to being “humanlike” –Based on a misunderstanding of Darwinian theory

Theory An interrelated, coherent set of ideas that helps to explain and make predictions

Psychoanalytic theories Superego Id Ego Freud Personality Structure

Psychoanalytic Freud –Defense Mechanisms Unconscious methods the ego uses to distort reality and protect itself from anxiety Examples: Repression and Regression

Psychoanalytic Freud Fig. 2.1

Psychoanalytic Revisions of Freud’s Theories – Less emphasis on sexual motivations – More emphasis on social aspirations

Psychoanalytic (Continued…) Fig. 2.3

Psychoanalytic (Continued from previous slide)

Cognitive Piaget Fig. 2.4

Cognitive Vygotsky –Cognitive skills are mediated by words, language, and forms of discourse –Cognitive skills have their origins in social relations

Information Processing Theory –How information is: Perceived Encoded Represented Stored Retrieved Cognitive

Behavioral Skinner –The scientific study of observable behavior responses and their environmental determinants –Behavior is learned and often changes according to environmental experience

Social Cognitive Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory Fig. 2.5

Ecological, Contextual Bronfenbrenner –Microsystem –Mesosystem –Exosystem –Macrosystem

Bronfenbrenner Levels

Eclectic Theoretical Orientation –Not following any one theoretical approach, but rather selecting from each theory whatever is considered the best in it