1. Invitation to the Life Span by Kathleen Stassen Berger
Chapter 9- Adolescence
Body and Mind

2. Puberty
Puberty: time between the first onrush of hormones and full adult physical development (about 3-5 yrs).
Puberty Begins: when a biochemical signal from
Hypothalamus stimulates hormone production in the pituitary
Pituitary triggers hormone production by the adrenal glands
Adrenal glands produce hormones
This route is called the HPA axis.
Hypothalamus sends signal
Pituitary produces hormones
Adrenal Glands produce hormones
HPA Axis

3. Puberty Gonads: paired sex glands that produce hormones and gamates
Ovaries in females
Testicles in males
Leptin: A hormone that affects appetite and involved in puberty
May cause early onset of puberty, especially among girls
Chronic malnutrition delays puberty in both sexes
Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH): The major hormone of puberty
Causes the gonads to enlarge and to dramatically
Increases of testosterone (in boys) and estradiol (in girls)

4. Puberty
Testosterone: sex hormone, the best known of the male hormones; males produce more than females
Estradiol: sex hormone, considered the chief estrogen; females produce more than males
Menarche: girl’s first menstrual period, signaling that she has begun ovulation
Around age 12 years 8 months
Pregnancy is biologically possible
Ovulation and menstruation are often irregular for years
Spermarche: boy’s first ejaculation of sperm which signals sperm production
Around age 13
Erections can occur as early as infancy

5. Puberty Physical growth: occurs during puberty between ages 8-14.
Girls: Growth in height starts 2 years BEFORE boys
Boys: Growth in height starts 2 years AFTER girls
Hormonal and Sexual growth:
Girls: ahead of boys by only a few months
Early maturation may be problematic
Boys: behind girls by only a few months
BOTH early and late maturation may be problematic
Body image: A person’s idea of how his or her body looks
Excessive concern with weight can become pathological
(IE: EATING DISORDERS!)

6. Eating Disorders
Obesity: children with a BMI above the 95th percentile
Anorexia Nervosa: refusal to maintain a minimally normal body weight above the 85th percentile; can be fatal.
Starvation to control body weight
Intense fear of gaining weight
Disturbed body perception
Bulimia Nervosa: recurrent episodes of consuming large amounts of food called Binging, followed by inappropriate compensatory behaviors to eliminate food; can be fatal
Purging (use of laxaitives, diuretics, ememas or vomiting)
Nonpurging (fasting, excessive exercise)
Occurs at least twice a week for 3 months
Uncontrollable urges to eat
Distorted perception of body size
Denial of the seriousness of the low body weight
Lack of menstruation (3x’s)

7. Risks of Puberty
Pregnancy: major developmental risk for sexually active adolescents
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI): disease spread by sexual contact, including syphilis, gonorrhea, genital herpes, chlamydia, and HIV
Child Sexual Abuse: any sexual activity between a juvenile and an older person
Any erotic activity that can arouse, excite, shame, or confuse a child, regardless if genital contact is involved.
Child is not legally able to “consent”
May result in adolescent problems like drug abuse, eating disorders, and suicide.

8. Cognitive Development
The Limbic System: matures before the prefrontal cortex
Associated with fear, instincts and emotional impulsiveness
When stress, arousal, passion, sensory bombardment, drug intoxication, or deprivation is extreme and/or intense, the logical part of the brain shuts down
ESPECIALLY true when an adolescent is with peers
Prefrontal Cortex (frontal lobe): last part of the brain to mature; (maturation around age 25)
Associated with planning ahead, emotional regulation

9. Cognitive Development
Adolescent Egocentrism: adolescent thinking that leads young people to focus on themselves to the exclusion of others which includes the following:
Personal Fable: aspect of egocentrism characterized by beliefs that their thoughts, feelings, or experiences are unique, more wonderful or awful than anyone else’s.
Invincibility Fable: An egocentric conviction that they are somehow immune to common dangers, such as unprotected sex, drug abuse, or high-speed driving.
Imaginary Audience: The other people who “are watching” and taking note of their appearance, ideas, and behavior; making them self-conscious.

10. Cognitive Development
Formal Operational Thought: Piaget’s 4th (and final) stage of cognitive development, characterized by more systematic logic and the ability to think about abstract ideas. Hypothetical Thought: the capacity to think in terms of possibility rather than only in terms of reality Deductive reasoning: Reasoning from a general statement, premise, or principle, through logical steps, to figure out (deduce) specifics. (also called top-down reasoning.) Inductive reasoning: Reasoning from one or more specific experiences or facts to a general conclusion (also called bottom-up reasoning.)

11. Cognitive Development
Dual-process Model: The notion that two networks exist within the human brain, one for analytical and one for intuitive (or emotional) processing of stimuli.
Analytic Thought: analysis, such as a systematic ranking of pros and cons, risks and consequences, possibilities and facts; depends on logic and rationality.
Intuitive Thought: motivated by emotions or a hunch beyond rational explanation; possibly influenced by past experiences and cultural assumptions
Much easier and quicker to forget about logic and rationality and follow emotions/impulses

12. Electronic Technology & Cognition
Digital divide: gap between students who have access to computers and those who do not that once separated boys from girls and rich from poor has been bridged
Benefits And Dangers of the Use of Computers in Education:
Collaboration with others academically and socially
Sharing personal information online without thinking about the possible consequences inviting sexual predators
Cyberbullying: Bullying that occurs via Internet
Similar to other bullying in intent and desire to harm
Perceived anonymity may provide sense of power