1. The Development of Children, Seventh Edition
Cynthia Lightfoot,
Michael Cole,
and Sheila R. Cole
Chapter 14:
Physical and Cognitive Development in Adolescence

2. Chapter Overview Adolescents and Society
Biological Theories of Adolescent Development
Puberty
Cognitive Development
Moral Development
Implications

3. Adolescence A time of many changes Physical development
Intellectual development
Sexual maturation

4. I. Adolescents and Society
All societies recognize adolescence as an important transition requiring special attention

5. Industrialization Urban youth problems
Teenagers both joining the workforce and getting into trouble
Social programs to offer services and structured activity to adolescents
Need for a more educated workforce

6. I. Apply – Connect – Discuss
Provide some personal examples of how social and cultural pressures to be both childlike and adultlike affected your adolescence.
To what extent might these examples be associated with contemporary social and cultural issues facing adolescents and their families?

7. II. Biological Theories of Adolescent Development
G. Stanley Hall
Sigmund Freud
Modern Theories

8. G. Stanley Hall “Storm and stress”
Consequence of evolutionary processes  

9. Sigmund Freud Genital stage of psychosexual development
Sexual intercourse as major motive of behavior
Major struggle is reestablishing the balance among the id, ego, and superego

10. Modern Theories Evolutionary implications Growth spurt
Compare to other primates
Late maturation leads to reproductive success

11. II. Apply – Connect – Discuss
From a biocultural perspective, why might it be advantageous to develop advanced social, economic, and cognitive skills and abilities prior to, rather than after reaching, sexual maturity?

12. III. Puberty
The series of biological developments that transform individuals from a state of physical immaturity into one in which they are biologically mature and capable of sexual reproduction.

13. Growth Spurt Physical changes Gender differences Skeletal growth
Bone mass
Height
Gender differences
Body shape
Strength

14. Sexual Development Primary sex characteristics
Reproductive organs
Secondary sex characteristics
Outwardly visible anatomical and physiological signs that distinguish males from females

15. Primary Sex Characteristics
Maturation of ovaries
Ovulation
Menarche
Maturation of testes
Sperm production
Semenarche

16. Secondary Sex Characteristics
Girls
Breast buds
Pubic hair
Boys
Enlargement of larynx and testes
Facial hair

17. Physical Changes

18. Brain Development Complex changes to organization and functioning
Frontal lobes
Memory, decision making, reasoning, impulse control, multitasking
Myelination
Synaptogenesis
Synaptic pruning

19. Timing of Puberty
Influences
Genetic factors
Environmental factors

20. Environmental Factors
Health and nutrition
For example, caloric intake
Levels of body fat
Stress and psychological depression

21. Puberty and Health
Nutrition
Sleep
Physical activity

22. Puberty and Culture Marking the transition Ceremonial ways
Institutional ways

23. Cultural Influences Culture and Gender Timing of puberty
Impact of distorted media messages
Eating disorders
Timing of puberty

24. III. Apply – Connect – Discuss
What might be done to protect girls from the negative consequences of early maturation?
Consider various contexts of prevention, including families, schools, and culture.

25. IV. Cognitive Development
Piaget’s Theory of Formal Operations
Information-Processing Approaches
Sociocultural Approaches

26. Theory of Formal Operations
A kind of mental operation in which all possible combinations are considered in solving a problem. Consequently, each partial link is grouped in relation to the whole; in other words, reasoning moves continually as a function of a structured whole.

27. Theory of Formal Operations
Piaget theory
Solve problems systematically
Manipulation of variables
Hypothetical-deductive reasoning

28. Sociocognitive Conflict
Conflict rooted in social experience
Social interaction  new points of view
May be useful for promoting formal-operational thinking
Variability
Both between and within cultures
Many people do not reach formal operations

29. Epistemic Development
Involves how individuals reason about the nature of truth and knowledge
Takes different forms during adolescence
Objectivist theory
Subjectivist theory
Evaluativist theory

30. Information-Processing Approach
Contrast to global change view
Expanded cognitive ability best explained as result of the development of cognitive structures and processes
Working memory capacity
Problem-solving strategies
Coordination of several systems

31. Sociocultural Approach
Emphasizes the role of social interactions
Work by Na’ilah Nasir
Dominoes in African American Communities
Communication and scaffolding assist in strategic reasoning

32. V. Apply – Connect – Discuss
Consider the various forms of reasoning described in this section: formal operations, postformal operations, and decision making.
To what extent are they relevant to reasoning in everyday contexts? Should schools emphasize the development of some forms rather than others? Why?

33. V. Moral Development Kohlberg’s theory of moral reasoning
Gilligan’s Theory of Moral Reasoning
Parent and Peer Contributions to Moral Development
Cultural Variations in Moral Reasoning
The Relation Between Moral Reasoning and Moral Action

34. Kohlberg’s Theory Adolescence
Moral reasoning at stage 4 starts to appear
Stage 3 still dominant until mid-20s

35. Feminist approaches Morality of Justice vs. Morality of Care
Emphasizes issues of rightness, fairness, and equality
Morality of care
Stresses relationships, compassion, and social obligations

36. Cultural Variations Kohlberg’s stages
Reflects moral views of Western culture
Development of justice and rights
Universal across cultures
Social conventions may differ

37. VI. Apply – Connect – Discuss
Suppose you want to facilitate moral development in juvenile delinquents participating in a counseling program.

38. Apply – Connect – Discuss
How would you go about this from a Kohlbergian perspective?
How would you do this from the perspective of social domain theory?
In each case, consider whether your intervention programs would be most effective if carried out with teens individually, or in family or peer groups.

39. VII. Implications Many physical and cognitive changes in adolescence
Shaped by the role of culture
Expectations
Technologies
Institutions