1. Physical and Cognitive Development in Adolescence
Chapter 11
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2. Guideposts for Study
What is adolescence, when does it begin and end, and what opportunities and risks does it entail?
What physical changes do adolescents experience, and how do these changes affect them psychologically?
What brain developments occur during adolescence, and how do they affect adolescent behavior?
What are some common health problems in adolescence, and how can they be prevented?
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3. Guideposts for Study
How do adolescents’ thinking and use of language differ from younger children’s?
On what basis do adolescents make moral judgments?
What factors affect adolescents’ school success and their educational and vocational planning and preparation?
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4. Adolescence and Puberty
The passage from childhood to adulthood
Puberty
Process that leads to sexual maturity or fertility
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5. Adolescence as Social Construction
No such concept in preindustrial societies
Today, adolescence is a global phenomenon
Time for growth and change
Stereotypes of risk-taking behaviors
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6. Box 11.1 Globalization of Adolescence
Adolescence is no longer a Western phenomenon
In many nonwestern countries, adolescent boys and girls live in separate worlds
Puberty heightens preparation for gender roles
Cultural change is complex
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7. Puberty Adrenarche Gonadarche Between ages 6 and 9
Maturing of the adrenal glands
Production or androgens (DHEA)
Gonadarche
Maturing of the sex organs
Girls: ovaries increase estrogen
Boys: testes increase androgens
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8. Physical Changes of Puberty
Both males and females:
Growth spurt
Pubic hair
Deeper voice
Muscular growth
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9. Girls Puberty Onset Boys Between ages 8 and 10 Between ages 9 and 11
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10. Primary Sex Characteristics
Females
Ovaries
Fallopian tubes
Uterus
Vagina
Males
Testes
Penis
Scrotum
Seminal vesicles
Prostate gland
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11. Secondary Sex Characteristics
Females
Breasts
Pelvis changes
Males
Broad Shoulders
Facial Hair
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12. Adolescent Growth Spurt
A rapid increase in height and weight
Typically lasts about 2 years
Results in common ‘gawkiness’
Teens become more concerned about their appearance
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13. Signs of Sexual Maturity
Spermarche
First ejaculation
Nocturnal emission (wet dream)
Average at age 13
Menarche
First menstruation (first period)
Average at age 12 ½
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14. Secular Trend A decrease in average age of pubertal onset
Possible explanations:
Higher standard of living/better nutrition
Overweight
Relationship with father
Pheromones
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15. Adolescent Brain A “work in progress”
Immaturity of adolescent brain has led to questions of legal responsibility
Risk taking comes from two brain networks
Socioemotional network (i.e. peer influence)
Cognitive control network (responses to stimuli)
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16. Two Major Brain Changes
Growth Spurt
Chiefly in frontal lobes
Reasoning, judgment, and impulse control
Gray Matter Growth
Continued myelination
Facilitates maturation of cognitive abilities
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17. Physical Activity
Exercise in adolescence is usually much less than in childhood.
1/3 of U.S. high school students do NOT engage in enough physical activity.
U.S. adolescents exercise less than in previous generations and less than those other countries.
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18. Sleep Needs Average sleep declines to less than 8 hours at age 16
Still, many adolescents do not get enough sleep
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19. Sleep Patterns
Changes in circadian timing and melatonin may account for tendency to stay up late.
School schedules are out of sync with biological rhythms.
Tendency to be sleepy during the day and ‘sleep in’ on weekends to make up for loss
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20. Nutrition
U.S. adolescents have less healthy diets than other industrialized countries
Fewer fruits and vegetables
More sweets, chocolates, and junk food
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21. Obesity/Overweight
U.S. teens are more likely to be overweight than their age-mates in industrialized countries—numbers tripled between 1980 and 2004.
Average teen girl needs ~2200 calories/day
Average teen boy needs ~2800 calories/day
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22. Body Image How one believes one looks
Concern most intense during adolescence
Pattern is more intense with females
 Normal increase in girls’ body fat
African-American girls are more satisfied with their bodies than are Caucasian girls
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23. Anorexia Nervosa Self-starvation Distorted body image
Constantly dieting and believe they are fat
May cause irregularity or cessation of menstruation
Often good students and ‘perfectionists’
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24. Bulimia Nervosa
Bingeing and undoing of caloric intake on regular basis
‘Undo’ calories by:
Self-induced vomiting
Excessive exercise
Laxatives or enemas
Diuretics
Dieting or fasting
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25. Treatment of Anorexia and Bulimia
Immediate goal is to get patient to eat and gain weight
Patients may be hospitalized if severely malnourished
Behavior therapy – reward eating
Cognitive therapy – change body image
Institutional settings and family therapy
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26. Drug Use and Abuse Substance Use Dependence or Addiction
Harmful use of alcohol or other drugs
Dependence or Addiction
Can be psychological or physiological
Especially dangerous for adolescents because of changing brain structures
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27. Trends in Drug Use
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28. Risk Factors for Drug Abuse
Difficult temperament
Poor impulse control and sensation seeking
 Biochemical basis and/or family influence
Genetic predisposition or inconsistent parenting
Early and persistent behavior patterns
Peer rejection, alienation, or rebelliousness
Attitudes toward drug use and early initiation
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29. Common Adolescent Drugs
Alcohol
Marijuana
Tobacco
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30. Depression Prevalence increases during adolescence
Occurs in 9% ages 12-17, only 40% treated
Girls more susceptible than boys
Can manifest as:
Sadness
Irritability
Boredom
Inability to experience pleasure
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31. Causes of Death in Adolescence
Vehicular Accidents
Leading cause of death among U.S. teens
Firearms
Homicide, suicide and accidental deaths
One-third of all injury deaths
Suicide
Almost one-fourth of U.S. high-school students have seriously considered suicide
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32. Piagetian Cognitive Development: Formal Operations
A capacity for abstract thought
A more flexible way to manipulate information
Usually develops around age 11
Also has emotional implications
 “I hate exploitation”
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33. Piagetian Tasks for Formal Operations
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34. Hypothetical-Deductive Reasoning
Problem-solving skills
Developing a hypothesis and an experiment to test it
Imagining relationships systematically
Piaget attributed acquiring this new skill to:
Brain maturation
Expanding environmental opportunities
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35. Evaluating Piaget’s Theory
Many late adolescents and adults (around1/3) are incapable of abstract thought
Fails to capture the role or context of the situation
The theory does not fully consider the role of metacognition
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36. Elkind: Immature Aspects of Thought
Idealism and criticalness
Argumentativeness
Indecisiveness
Apparent hypocrisy
Self-consciousness
 Imaginary Audience
Specialness and Invulnerability
 Personal Fable
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37. Changes in Information Processing
Structural: Increases in processing capacity
Expansion of working memory allows adolescents to deal with complex problems
Functional
Increased ability to obtain, handle and retain information
Mathematical and scientific reasoning
Improved proficiency in drawing conclusions
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38. Structural Change in Long-Term Memory
Increase in long-term memory capacity:
Declarative knowledge
Procedural knowledge
Conceptual knowledge
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39. Language Development Adolescents can discuss abstractions:
 Love
 Freedom
 Justice
Frequently use such terms as:
 However
 Otherwise
 Therefore
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40. Kohlberg’s Levels of Moral Reasoning
Stage of Reasoning
Pre-Conventional
Punishment and Obedience
Instrumental Purpose and Exchange
Conventional
Approval of Others: ‘The Golden Rule’
Social Concern and Conscience
Post-Conventional
Contracts, Rights and Democratic Laws
Universal Ethical Principles
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41. Concerns About Kohlberg’s Theory
Role of family influences
Validity for women and girls
Gilligan’s theory: An ethic of care
Cross-cultural validity
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42. Influences on School Achievement
Self-efficacy beliefs
Parenting styles
Ethnicity
Peer influences
Gender
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43. School Influences on Achievement
What is the quality of the school?
Does the student like his/her school?
Does the school tailor teaching to students’ abilities?
Does the school help students transition to college?
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44. Dropping out of High School
3.8% of high school students dropped out during school year
Students at greatest risk:
Low SES
Males
Hispanics
Students with low ‘active engagement’
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45. Factors That Promote Active Engagement at School
Family encouragement
Small class size
Warm and supportive school environment
Early education programs
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46. Influences on Students’ Goals
Parental attitudes towards academics
Gender and gender-stereotyping
The educational system
Are schools rewarding creativity? OR
……..…rote memorization?
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47. Guiding Non-College-Bound Students
Vocational counseling
Vocational training programs
Community colleges
On-the-job training
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