Transcript Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood

Physical & Cognitive
Development in Adolescence
Chapter 8
Pubertal Changes
Physical growth (girls begin 11, boys 13)
Weight increase (20-25 lbs)
Bones lengthen
Head, hands, feet first
Muscle density increases (boys > girls)
Body fat increases (girls > boys)
Heart, lung capacity increases (boys > girls)
Pubertal Changes
Sexual maturation
Primary sexual characteristics
Reproductive organs (ovaries, testes, etc.)
Secondary sexual characteristics
Breasts, pelvis, facial hair, broadening shoulders,
voice change
Menarche (menstruation) ~13
Spermarche (1st ejaculation - but few sperm) ~13
Mechanisms of Maturation
Hypothalamus (‘master gland’)
Hormones->pituitary gland->growth hormone
Pituitary gland signals other organs to
release hormones
Adrenal gland -> androgen (hair)
Ovaries -> estrogen (breasts, genitals, body fat)
Testes -> testosterone (genitals, muscle mass)
Mechanisms of Maturation
Timing regulated in part by genes
Mother’s age at menarche predicts
daughter’s
Other influences
Nutrition
Health
Better = sooner puberty onset
Cultural & historical differences linked to health
Psychological Impacts
Body image
Girls less pleased with changes
Boys happy with changes later
Affect: Adolescents are ‘mood’
Not hormones
Changing activities/social circumstances
Psychological Impacts
Maturation rates
Early maturing boys confident, independent,
popular (v. late maturing boys)
Problems with late maturing fades by adulthood
Early maturing girls
Insecure, less popular, depressed, have conduct
disorder
Lasting effects (e.g., pregnancy)s
Health
Obesity
2001 Surgeon General declared childhood
obesity an epidemic
Obese children doubled, obese adolescents
tripled during past 25 years (1/7 overweight)
Unpopular, low self-esteem
Heightened risk for health problems
Health
Obesity risk factors
Heredity plays a role (passive & active)
Overweight parents tend to have overweight kids
• Metabolic rate inherited?
Genes -> activity level -> weight
Media images of fatty foods
Parents may emphasize external eating cues
Health
Weight loss programs do work
Change eating, behavior habits
Monitor eating, exercise
Set realistic goals
Health
Anorexia nervosa
Persistent refusal to eat and irrational fear of
being overweight
Distorted body image
Damages heart, without treatment 15% die
Bulimia nervosa
Cycles of binge eating/vomiting
Health
Eating disorders
Females > males
More common in industrialized cultures
Roots in female body image
Rates track changes in ideal female body
Risk factors/Causes
Autocratic parents, culture, genes
Health
Threats to adolescent well being
Motor vehicle accidents
Firearms
Accidents (due to risky behavior)
Decision making: emphasize social
consequences more than health factors
Cultural differences
More MVA for European, more firearms for African
Information Processing
Working memory, processing speed
Both increase during adolescence
~adults by mid-adolescence
Content knowledge
Increases dramatically in areas of interest
Metacognitive skills
Improved ability to choose appropriate
strategies for a task and monitor progress
Moral Thinking
Kohlberg: 3 levels of moral reasoning
Preconventional (2 stages): punish/rewards
External factors/obedience orientation
Instrumental orientation (exchange nice beh for…)
Conventional (2 stages): social norms
Follows societal norms
Follow rule to maintain social order (social system)
Postconvetional (2 stages): moral codes
Valid social contract
Universal ethics: abstract morality
Moral Thinking
Research generally supports Kohlberg
During adolescence stage 3-4 reasoning
increases
Longitudinal studies indicate no regression
Studies link moral reasoning & moral behavior
Moral Thinking
Kohlberg’s theory is a Western view
US - justice orientation key
Hindus in India - care orientation key
Promote moral reasoning
Modeling
Discussion w/ more developed moral
thinkers