Adolescence: Physical

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Chapter 11

• Adolescence Physical Cognitive Development

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Adolescence

• Except for infancy, more changes occur during
  adolescence than at any other time of life
• Contemporary theorists see adolescence as a time
  when biological, cognitive, social/emotional
  functioning are reorganized. (and adolescents
  have to adapt to these changes!)

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What is Puberty?

• A stage of development characterized by reaching
  sexual maturity and the ability to reproduce
• Physical changes which mark the transition from
  childhood to young adulthood
• The onset of adolescent coincides with the advent
  of puberty
• Meaning, when puberty starts, no matter how
  young, you are now an adolescent

4
Know

• Puberty occurs 2-3 years earlier in girls
  compared to boys

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Primary Secondary Sex Characteristics

• Their development is triggered by sex hormones
• 1. Primary sex characteristics (make
  reproduction possible) ovaries, vagina, uterus,
  fallopian tubes in women and penis, testes,
  prostate gland, and seminal vesicles in men.
• 2. Secondary sex characteristics (indicate
  sexual maturation but are not involved in
  reproduction) Breast development, deepening
  voice, body odor, and the appearance of facial,
  pubic and underarm hair.

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What Happens During the Adolescent Growth Spurt?

• The stable growth patterns of middle childhood
  end abruptly during adolescence
• First height increases for approximately 2 years,
  then declines
• A spurt in weight happens 1 ½ years after height,
  also for approximately 2 years then declines

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Adolescent Growth Spurt, cont.

• Height
• Boys 14 ½ inches
• Girls 13 inches
• Adolescents tend to look thin because of the lag
  in weight gain compared to height
• Adolescents eat an enormous amount of food to
  fuel this growth

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Why do Adolescents Often Look Awkward and Gawky?

• Because different parts of the body grow at
  different rates, called Asynchronous Growth
• ? Hands and feet develop before the arms and the
  legs
• ? Legs grow before the shoulders and chest.

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Why Do Adolescents seem to be Getting Taller
Maturing Earlier?

• Because they are!
• This is called the Secular Trend, and is present
  in nearly all European countries and in the
  United States.
• What two factors appear to play a role in this
  trend?
• A. Better nutrition
• B. Healthcare

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Pubertal Changes in Boys

• About 11-12 Growth of testes (which speeds the
  development of testosterone)
• 1 year later Growth of penis
• Soon thereafter Pubic hair
• By 15 Underarm/Facial hair
• 14-15 Voice deepens
• Testosterone also causes Acne

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Pubertal Changes in Boys, cont.

• By 13-14 Frequent, and often unwanted erections
• 14-15 First Noctural Emission (also called
  Spermarche) which shows the beginning production
  of semen
• 20-21 Adolescent growth comes to a close

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Pubertal Changes in Girls

• 9-10 Estrogen stimulates the growth of breast
  tissue (called breast buds) and they reach full
  size within 3 years
• Estrogen triggers growth of fatty tissue in the
  hips/buttocks, and hips widen
• Beginning at 11 Underarm and pubic hair

Breast buds developing
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Pubertal Changes in Girls, cont.

• Estrogen causes growth of the labia, vagina and
  uterus
• Androgens cause the development of the clitoris
• Menarche (first menstruation) usually occurs
  between 11-14, or 2 years
• Menarche occurs much earlier in girls for the
  past 150 years

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What Accounts for the Earlier Age of Menarche?

• Girls must reach a certain body weight to trigger
  pubertal changes such as menarche, called
  Critical Fat Hypothesis
• Menarche comes later to girls who have a low
  percentage of body fat (those with eating
  disorders/athletes)
• Average body weight which triggers menarche
  depends on the girls height

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Question

• Do girls ovulate when they start their first
  period?
• No. They ovulate 12-18 mo after menarche

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Body Image

• Adolescents are concerned about their physical
  appearance
• More satisfied toward the end of adolescence
• Females Body weight/slimness
• Males Gain weight/build muscles

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What are the Cognitive Changes During Adolescence?

• They have reached Piagets formal operational
  stage
• Remember, this is his highest stage (age 11-12
  and beyond)
• Adolescents have reached cognitive maturity
  according to Piaget

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During the Formal Operational Stage the
Adolescent Can

• Classify objects or ideas
• Engage in logical thought
• Hypothesize in their investigations (like
  scientists)
• Group and classify symbols, statements, and even
  theories
• Follow and formulate arguments from their
  premises, to their conclusions, and back (even if
  they do not believe in them)

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Know!

• Formal operational thinking is flexible and
  reversible

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Formal Operational Thinking is Characterized by 3
Cognitive Processes

• ?Hypothetical Thinking
• ? Sophisticated use of Symbols
• ? Deductive Reasoning

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1. Hypothetical Reasoning

• Adolescents develop concept of what might be
  rather than what is
• Adolescents try on different clothing as well as
  different attitudes
• Realize that situations can have different
  outcomes

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2. Sophisticated Use of Symbols

• Understand X-the unknown (as used in algebra and
  geometry)
• Can perform mental operations with symbols (ex.
  PEMDAS, and math/physics/ algebra, and skills for
  engineering, architecture)
• Can understand, appreciate, and sometimes produce
  metaphors

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3. Deductive Reasoning

• Judge right and wrong in specific situations by
  reasoning deductively from moral principals
• Decentration allows the adolescent to focus on
  many aspects of a situation at once to arrive at
  a moral judgment or to solve a moral dilemma

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Question

• What are some of the gender differences in
  cognitive abilities?