Chapter 11 Physical and Cognitive Development in Adolescence Adam, Bethany, Tamika, Tameka & Tricia Murphy

Puberty Not the same as adolescence Puberty is the beginning of adolescence Puberty begins a cycle of physical maturation

Puberty Is not A single sudden event Noticeable physical changes Difficult to pinpoint when it begins and ends

On average the peak growth spurt occurs Two years earlier for girls around (11 ½) Than for boys around (13 ½)

According to research male pubertal characteristics Increase in penis and testicle size Appearance of straight pubic hair Minor voice change First ejaculation (which normally occurs from masturbation or a wet dream.) Kinky pubic hair, onset height and weight, hair in armpits, more detectable voice change and finally growth of facial hair.

Female characteristics Breast enlarges or pubic hair appears Hair in the armpits Growth in height Hips wider than shoulders First menstrual No voice change by the end of puberty Girls tend to outweigh boys till age 14 boys surpass girls.

Behind the puberty of girls and boys There are a flood of hormones, power chemicals substance secreted by the endocrine glands and carried through the body by the bloodstream.

The brain is also changing Researchers discovered that twice as many synaptic connections, which are the pairing of homologous chromosomes one from each parent during early meiosis are made than will ever be used. The connections that are used are strengthened and survive while the unused are replaced by other pathways or they simply disappear. As a result from the disappearing by the end of adolescence years individual have fewer, more selective and more effective neuronal connections than they had as a child. The disappearing of the synaptic connections indicates that the activities the adolescent choose to engage in and not to engage in influence which neural connections will be strengthened and which ones will disappear.

The Brain Recently discovered by scientists adolescents brains undergo major structural changes. The corpus callosum, is the location where fibers connect the brain’s left and right hemispheres, which is thickened in adolescence and this improves adolescents ability to process information more effective. Moreover, the amygdale is responsible for our emotions such as anger and matures earlier than the prefrontal cortex which is the region in intense emotions, but does not finish developing until emerging into adulthood. According to scientists they have yet to determine whether the brain changes come first or whether the brain changes are the result of experiences with peers, parents, and others. Once again we encounter the nature verse nurture issue that is so prominent in an examination of development through the life span.

Adolescent Sexuality Characterized by Substantial changes in physical growth and the development of the brain Bridge between the asexual child and the sexual adult Time of sexual exploration and experimentation and incorporating his/her sexuality into one’s personality

Adolescents Are Concerned with: If they are sexually attractive How to perform sex What the future holds for their sexual lives

Influenced and Educated on Sex Via Videos Magazines Television Lyrics of popular music Website

Developing a Sexual Identity Involve learning to manage sexual feelings Intimacy Sexual arousal Attraction Skills to manage sexual behavior to avoid undesirable consequences

Developing a Sexual Identity Emerges in the context of Physical factors Social factors Cultural factors Is apparent through Activities Interests Style of behavior Identification of sexual orientation

Developing a Sexual Identity Developing same sex sexual identity Gays and lesbians tend to struggle through this developmental process Usually do not remember early same sex attractions Tend to recognize their sexual orientation in mid to late adolescence Many gays and lesbians also acknowledge opposite sex attractions but are more sexually drawn to same sex

Timing of Adolescent Sexual Behavior Varies by country, gender and socioeconomic level Women who lost their virginity by the age of 17 72% in Mali 47% in United States 45% in Tanzania Men who lost their virginity by the age of 17 76% in Jamaica 64% in United States 63% in Brail

Study of Sexually Active High School Students 39% of Males 29% of Females 63% of Males 62% of Females 9th Graders 12th Graders

Increasing Amount of Oral Sex Occurrences National survey showed 55% of 15 -19 year old boys and 54% of girls in the same age group had engaged in oral sex 20 % of those who had taken part in the survey and responded as not having sexual intercourse hade engaged in oral sex

Risk Factors in Adolescent Sexual Behavior Many adolescents are not emotionally ready to handle sexual experiences Early sexual behavior is linked to risky behavior Drug use Delinquency School related problems

Causes of Early Sexual Activity in Girls Alcohol use Early menarche Poor parent child communication

Increased Risk of Early Sexual Behavior Low socioeconomic status Siblings that are teen moms or are sexually active Reduced parental supervision

Factors That May Reduce Likelihood of Early Sexual Behaviors Understanding of the negative consequences of sexual activity Academic achievements Knowing the added responsibilities that will arise if he/she gets pregnant

Contraceptive Use Used to prevent: Unwanted Pregnancy Sexually Transmitted Diseases The Center for Disease Control found that 61% of high school students are now using birth control methods But many sexually active teens are still not using birth control

Condom Use in the U.S. vs. Europe Girls = 72% Boys= 81% Girls = 62% Boys = 75% Europe: 15 year olds US: 15 year olds

Sexually Transmitted Diseases Transmitted primarily through sexual contact, including oral-genital and anal genital contact 3 million Americans adolescents are infected with and STI a year One fourth of those who are sexually active In a single act of unprotected sex a teenage girl has a: 50% chance of getting Gonorrhea 30% chance of genital warts 1% of HIV

Adolescent Pregnancy U.S. has the highest rate of adolescent pregnancy and childbearing rates of all industrialized countries 1991-2005 declined 34% Believed to have due to fear of disease and the increased use of contraceptive

Latina Adolescent Pregnancy Have a greater rate of adolescent pregnancy than non-Latina whites and African Americans Smallest decline in teen pregnancy and birthrates Greater likelihood to have a second adolescent birth than all other ethnic groups

Daughter of Teen Mothers Have a 66% greater chance to have a teen pregnancy themselves

Outcome of Adolescent Pregnancy Creates health problems for both mother and child Low birth weights Prominent factor in infant mortality Creates neurological problems Childhood illness Greater likelihood of mother dropping out of school Children tend to have greater tendency of behavioral issues and learning problems in school

Exceptions to the Majority Not all teen pregnancies lead to health or behavioral problems Not all adolescent pregnancies lead to the cycle repeating itself There is a percentage to teens that achieve well in their academics and have positive outcomes in both their own and their child’s lives!

Personal Note Dear Class, I believe the text did not fully explain how positive and beautiful a teen pregnancy can be! But it was my job to present the material in the text. That is what I did. Please do not hold the material against me or any of my group members. Thank You and we continue….

Reducing Adolescent Pregnancy (Page 362) Teen Outreach Program Engages teens in community outreach and volunteering A study on the program showed: participants had greater academic success lower pregnancy rates Girls Inc. Four programs designed to motivate girls to avoid pregnancy until they are mature enough to handing the role of motherhood Studies have shown a direct link between sexual education and pregnancy Controversy stems from this topic

Issues in Adolescent Health “Many of the behaviors that are linked to poor health habits and early death begin during adolescence”

Nutrition/Exercise 12-19 yo overweight increased Adolescents-decreased intake of fruits and veggies Regular family meals in adolescencehealthy eating habits 5 yrs. Later Exercise: Positive effect on weight Low Levelsadolescents more depressed Increase computer/TV use, decrease in exercise From 11%-17% (overweight increased) Exercise: reduced Triglycerides, decreased BP/incidence type 2 DM/drug use Low level: depressive symptoms in young adolescents 34

Sleep Patterns 31% US adolescents had <8 hrs. sleep/night and decreases with age <8hrs. Sleep leads to many problems Older adolescents have change in biological clocks due to change in melatonin Mary Carskadon Experiment Later start times Feel more tired, sleepy, cranky/irritable, fall asleep in school, depressed mood, drink caffeinated beverages than those who had more than 8hrs sleep Later Start times: No difference in middle schoolers, but increased test scores for high school students 35

Leading Causes of Death Accidents 2. Homicide 3. Suicides 15-24 yo Deaths 50% unintentional Injuries  75% MVA (Risky driving habits, not lack of experience) 50% MVA with teenagers, driver had BAC .1 Homicides: AA males more likely Suicide Rates have tripled since the 1950’s MVA: Risky Driving habits like Speeding, tailgating, DUI alcohol/drugs Suicide Rates: 6% in 10-14 yr. olds 12% in 15-19 yr. olds 36

Substance Abuse Males engaged in Binge Drinking more than females Cigarettes: Peak in 1997, has been declining Pain Killers: Main Source parents medicine cabinet Roles of Development: Parents and Education Lloyd Johnston: Decline in use, US still highest in rates of adolescent abuse 8th grade: 1996-26%; 2009-15% 10th grade: 2001-39%; 2009-28% 12th grade: 1980-72%; 2009-43% 30% seniors had been in car with while driver under the influence Cigarettes: Starts in 7-9th grades PK: 2004- 18% used Vicodin, 10% Oxycontin, 9% cough medicines Parents: Monitoringlower incidences, family dinners fewer problems and substance abuse problems Education: Achievement reduced likelihood adolescents developing drug problems (alcohol, smoking, illicit drugs) 37

Anorexia Nervosa “Eating disorder that involves relentless pursuit of thinness through starvation” Three Characteristics: Weight <85% considered normal Intense fear of gaining weight Distorted image of body shape Most white, middle/upper class/income families 10x more likely in females than males Most effective treatment is Family Counseling Even when thin, still fat. Weigh themselves frequently, body measurements, gaze at self in mirror Usually starts after diet or family/life stress. Starts Early adolescence Set high standards for themselves, but have a feeling of failure. Turn to food as something they can control. 38

Bulimia Nervosa “Individual consistently follows binge-and- purge pattern” Happens 2x/week for 3 months Fall within normal weight range which makes it difficult to detect Affects 1-2% US Women/90% Female Binge usually started by dieting and somewhat overweight before onset Preoccupied with food, strong fear becoming overweight, depressed/anxious, distorted body image May not see it on the outside, but is messing insides up. Who is the first person to usually detect when someone is bulimic? Dentist. Starts late adolescence, early adulthood ANOREXIA AND BULIMIA 70% recover from disorder 39

Adolescent Cognition

Piaget’s Theory Piaget created the cognitive developmental theory which focused on different developmental milestones in an individual’s life. At the third stage of his theory is the concrete operational stage: when children can reason logically about concrete events and objects, makes gains in the classification and relationship between classes and objects.

The Formal Operational Stage This is the fourth and final stage of Piaget’s cognitive developmental theory. This stage occurs around the age of 11. In this stage thought is more abstract: Things like love become important, personal ideals, enhanced imagination, hypothetical thinking comes in to play, and logical reasoning . At this stage in development children began to think more of them and are occupied with their own thoughts. Problem solving skills move away from trial and error to a more scientific approach. Such as devising plans to solve problems, systematically testing solutions. Hypothetical-deductive reasoning- involves creating a hypothesis and understanding the possible outcomes of an event.

Evaluating Piaget’s Theory Criticism More individual variation then he thought: About 1 and 3 adolescents are formal operational thinkers, many American adults never become this type of thinker Culture and education have stronger influence then Piaget maintained Cognitive development is not as stage like, children can be trained to reason at a higher level. Some abilities emerge later then thought others earlier.

Evaluating Piaget’s Theory Contributions He is the founder of present field of cognitive development Concepts such as: assimilation, accommodation, object permanence, egocentrism, and conservation and be attributed to Piaget The idea of children being active and constructive thinkers

Adolescent Egocentrism Which is the heightened self-consciousness of adolescents. Two key components of adolescent egocentrism • Imaginary Audience- the belief that others are as interested in them as they themselves are, and attention getting behavior. Ex. If a 9th grader walks in the classroom they think all eyes are on them. • Personal Fable- is a sense of uniqueness and invincibility. Ex. No one understands me especially my parents. Ex. Of invincibility that won’t happen to me or I won’t get hurt.

Information Processing According to Kuhn it is important that adolescents improve Executive Functioning- which is higher order cognitive activity such as reasoning, making decisions, monitoring thinking critically, and monitoring one’s cognitive progress. Improves: Effective learning Allocation of attention Make decisions and use critical thinking Decision Making Adolescent thinking has a dual-process model- One is analytical and the other experiential.

The Transition To Middle Or Junior High School At this stage adolescent experience the top- dog phenomenon – moving from being the oldest, biggest, and most powerful student to being the youngest, smallest, and least powerful. Some positive aspects: Feeling grown up More subjects to select from Spend time with peers, find compatible friends Increased independence, challenge by academic work

High School In the late 20th and first several years of the 21st century U.S. high school dropout rates declines. In the 1940 more than half of 16- 24 years olds dropped out of school by 2006 the figure decreased to 9.3 percent. The dropout rate for Latinos remains highs, but is highest among Native Americans. Ways to decrease dropout rates: Early reading programs Tutoring Counseling and mentoring

Extracurricular Activities and Service Learning Benefits of Extracurricular Activity •Higher grades, school engagement, lower dropout rates •More likely to go to college, lower delinquency and substance abuse. Service Learning- is a form of education that promotes social responsibility and service to the community. An important goal of service learning is that adolescents become less self- centered and motivated to help others. •Adolescents engage in tutoring, helping older adults, working in a hospital, assisting in child-care, and cleaning up.