Chapter 12
Physical and Cognitive Development in Adolescence

The Nature of Adolescence

·        Adolescence: A relatively new term

·        “Adolescere”

·        Transition from childhood to adulthood.

·        The most challenging period of life.

·        Abstract and idealistic thoughts.

·        A period of Continuity and Discontinuity

·        Decreased time with parents.

·        Increased time with peers.

·        Generational differences.

·        “Storm and Stress” theory by Stanely Hall (1904)

·        Views of Anna Freud

·        Confusing and controversial messages for adolescents.

·        Portrayal of adolescents in the media

·        Analysis of 207 newspaper articles (1996)

·        A cross-cultural study by Daniel Offer (1988)

·        The best of times

·        The worst of times

·        Adolescents: heterogeneous group.

Puberty

·        Important marker of the beginning of adolescence.

·        A period of rapid physical maturation.

·        Hormonal and bodily changes.

·        Environmental and genetic factors.

·        Effects of nutrition, health, heredity, and body mass.

Individual Variations in Puberty

·        A wide normal range of puberty.

·        Pinpointing its beginning and its end is difficult.

·        Beginning of puberty in boys (10-13 ½ ).

·        Menarche: beginning of puberty in girls (9-15 years)

·        Declining (4 months per decade) in an average age of menarche.

·        Pubertal Growth Spurt

Hormonal Changes

·        Hormones: Powerful chemical substances secreted by the endocrine glands and carried through the body by the bloodstream

·        Hormonal change involves the interaction of the hypothalamus, pituitary glands, and gonads.

·        The hypothalamus (eating, drinking, and sex).

·        The pituitary gland: (growth and regulation of glands).

·        The gonads (the sex glands, testes and ovaries).

·        Gonadotropins - hormones that stimulate the testes or ovaries

·        Testosterone: associated with boys development.

·        Estradiol: associated with girls development.

·        Difference of the proportion of the two hormones for males and females.

·        See figure on next slide:

Hormone Levels by Sex and Pubertal Stage
for Testosterone and Estradiol (Figure)

Height, Weight, and Sexual Maturation

·        The onset of pubertal growth: 9.5 years for girls, 11.5 for boys.

·        Height: 3.5 inches per year for girls, 4 inches for boys.

·        Weight: Boys weight more than girls.

·        Body image: girls tend to have negative body image.

·        Early and late maturation

·        Stars and Nerds??

Adolescence Sexuality

·        A time of exploration and experimentation.

·        Social and cultural trends.

·        Sexual identity.

·        Sexual orientation.

Risk Factors in Sexual Behavior

1. Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)

• More than 3 million American adolescents have an STD (genital herpes, HIV, gonorrhea, Chlamydia).
• Chlamydia and gonorrhea are more common among adolescents than young adults.

2. Adolescent Pregnancy

·        500,000 cases in America. 

·        Highest rate in the Western world.

·        Negative consequences for the mother:

·        Negative consequences for the baby:

·        Decrease in adolescent pregnancies (African Americans) in the 1990s.

·        Reducing Adolescent Pregnancy?
 

Alcohol

·        The most widely used drug by adolescents.

·        Third leading cause of death in the U.S.

·        25,000 are killed and 1.5 million are injures.

·        North Dakota ranked # 1 for high school students’ alcohol use.

·        Tragedies of Alcoholism:

·        Joys of Alcoholism:

Cigarette Smoking

• Habit begins in childhood or adolescence.
• One-third of high school seniors smoke.
• Risk of early smoking: lung cancer.
• The Role of Parents, and Peers

Eating Disorders

1. Anorexia nervosa

• The relentless pursuit of thinness through starvation.
• Begins in early to middle teenage years.
• Weighing less than 85 percent. 
• An intense fear of gaining weight.
• A distorted image of one’s body shape.
• High standards and expectations.
• Ten times more likely in females than males.

2. Bulimia nervosa

·        A binge-and-purge eating pattern.

·        Preoccupied with food.

·        A strong fear of becoming overweight.

·        Depressed or anxious.

·        Study findings: Athletic body and eating disorders have a strong correlation

Three Leading Causes of Death in Adolescence

• Accidents (more than half of all deaths for 10- to 19-year-olds).
• Suicide (rate tripled since 1950).
• Homicide (especially in African American males).
• Do you find anything striking in these causes of death?

ADOLESCENT COGNITION

Formal Operational Thought by Piaget

·        The ability to reason

·        The ability to reflect on one’s own thoughts (meta-cognition).

Hypothetical-deductive reasoning

·        Ability to develop hypotheses.

·        Different ways to solve problems.

·        Systematic deduction or conclusion.

Three characteristics of Formal Operational Thought.

Abstract

Idealistic

Logical

Adolescent Egocentrism

·        Heightened self-consciousness. 

·        Two types of social thinking:

1. Imaginary audience

·        attention-getting behavior.

2. Personal fable

·        Sense of uniqueness and invulnerability.

SCHOOLS

The Transition to Middle or Junior High School

• Social changes
• Familial changes
• Individual changes
• Top-dog phenomenon
• Moving from the top to the lowest position. 
• Trends in high school dropout rates

The Carnegie Corporation’s recommendations. 

Moral Education

1. The Hidden Curriculum

·        School and classroom rules.

2. Character Education

·        Teaching a basic moral literacy.

3. Values Clarification

·        Defining own values and understanding others.

4. Cognitive Moral Education

·        Learning the value of democracy, and justice.

5. Service Learning

·        Promotion of social responsibility.

·        Providing service to the community.