Developmental Psychology Adolescence Outcomes Describe adolescence Discuss the

Developmental Psychology Adolescence

Outcome(s): Describe adolescence. Discuss the relationship between physical change and development of identity during adolescence Examine psychological research into adolescence (for example, Erikson’s identity crisis, Marcia).

Agenda 1. 2. 3. 4. Guided notes TED Talk Discussion Review for test 1. 2. 1 ERQ 15 multiple choice

Adolescence https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=GGEd. IUSh EU 4 To what extent do you think that the ideas in this video describe adolescence in the 21 st century?

Defining adolescence Originally, psychologists described adolescence as the time in one’s life between puberty and adulthood characterized by “storm and stress” (sturm und drang) G. Stanley Hall (1904): adolescence characterized by unpredictable series of growth spurts Erikson: adolescence characterized by an “identity crisis” where teenagers struggle to discover who they are Many arguments about the stress of adolescence are challenged today by modern psychologists

Cultures & Adolescence Many cultures have “initiation rites” even if they do not have an official time in life called “adolescence” Example: circumcision � https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Zw-124 t 993 c Example: ants � https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=ZGIZ-z. Uvot. M What kind of initiation rites do you have in your own culture?

Adolescence cont. The concept of adolescence is controversial � Psychologists recognize that during teenage years, teenagers are developing physically and socially Brown (1987): key accomplishments of adolescence � � Not every culture has a distinctly recognized period between childhood and adulthood Develop an identity and pursue autonomy Develop friendships and gain acceptance from peers Develop competence and find ways to achieve Make commitments to particular goals, activities, and beliefs Adolescents spend more time with peers than younger children � � And are more heavily influenced by them as adolescents Drive for acceptance – susceptible to influence and promotes rapid development of new relationships

Physical Changes in Adolescence TED Talk – Sarah-Jayne Blakemore � What are the “new findings”? How has it changed our understanding of human development?

Adolescence: physical change and identity Key physical changes in puberty � Girls experience their first menstruation (menarche) – age has continued to change over past century See Trends Table (Tennen, 1990) 1998 – UK Dept of Health: diets high in protein-rich plants associated with later menarche; diets high in animal protein associated with earlier menarche Belsky et al (1991): early onset of menarche due to environmental stressors Surbey (1990): 1200 women - menarche 5 months earlier on average in families where the father was

Physical changes cont. Brooks-Gunn (1988): boys who mature earlier are more confident, independent, and physically attractive; tend to do well at school (academically, athletically) � For women, the reverse seems to be true � Early maturing women tend ot have lower selfesteem and are less popular � Early maturers more likely to engage in sexually promiscuous behavior, have emotional problems, experience more conflict with peers (Susman et al 1985)

Cultural Ideal Hypothesis Simmons & Blyth (1987) Cultural ideal hypothesis: puberty brings boys closer to their “ideal body” whereas girls move further away from theirs Fernon (1997): looked at the role of culture (US and France) with regard to body dissatisfaction � 75% of Americans believed there was no biological predisposition for how your body should look � 75% of French believed physical appearance cannot be changed by will-power

Physical Changes: Neurological Key changes in the brain � Myelination of the neurons in the frontal lobe continues, allowing for faster transmission of information � Decrease in the number of synapses within the prefrontal cortex By adulthood, the brain has 41% fewer synapses than a newborn child (Abitz et al, 2007) Synaptic pruning Happens right after birth then again during puberty � Swollen et al (1999): after puberty, the amount of gray matter (responsible for sensory perception, memory, emotions, speech) starts to decrease and is replaced by white matter (expression of emotions and regulation of homeostasis)

Adolescence and brain development cont. Changes in brain result in improved executive functions (selective attention, decision making, response inhibition) Prospective memory: ability to remember to do something in the future More likely to engage in risky behaviors Tymula et al (2012): examined differences in risk-taking between teens and adults � � 33 adolescents, ages 12 to 17, and 30 adults, ages 30 to 50 Engaged in gambling game where they could take a definite $5 or choose between getting a larger payout or nothing at all (trial included risks, probability) Higher level of risk taking observed among adolescents may reflect a higher tolerance for the unknown Biologically: tolerance may allow young organisms to take advantage of learning opportunities

Adolescents & Risk Reyna (2004) � Teens overestimate risk � AIDS – adolescents estimated that a teenage girl who is sexually active has a 60% change of contracting HIV… but the odds are much smaller for most Americans � However, the perception doesn’t prevent teens from engaging in risky behavior Most teens get lost in details about specific risks and overly focus on possible rewards?

Erikson and Elkind All research so far can help answer a question that asks you to discuss research on adolescence Two key theories about adolescence 1. 2. Erikson’s theory of identity vs. role diffusion as a stage of psychosocial development Elkind’s theory of adolescent egocentrism

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Erikson Psychosexual development: assumes development is universal, sequential, characterized by specific tasks at each stage

Erikson cont. Individual searches for a new sense of continuity and sameness, concerned with questions of sexuality, future occupation, identity Moratorium: delay in become an adult when adolescents can try out different roles, attitudes, beliefs, and occupations Role diffusion: uncertainty about who one is Limitations: � Next slide

Limitations of Erikson Adolescents do not necessarily experience a developmental crisis Adolescents not in a state of crisis and conflict with parents Adolescent turmoil a myth? Erikson's theory is Western biased Stages are based on the assumption that development is universal, sequential, and characterized by specific developmental tasks at each stage Moratorium not necessarily making the transition easier Identity formation not a project of adolescence alone

Evaluating Erikson’s stages Ochse & Plug (1986): challenged theory by examining the order of developmental stages in black and white South Africans � Argued it was difficult to define “role diffusion” and thus it cannot be reliably measured � Found among the African community was that intimacy appeared to precede identity � Researchers argue people learn to know themselves and develop a sense of identity (not the other way as Erikson proposed)

Elkind: adolescent egocentrism Elkind argues that one of the key characteristics of adolescent is adolescent egocentrism: teen’s preoccupation with himself, believing that he is the focus of attention � � � Because of this sense of being in the spotlight, teens are aware of people’s reaction to them Could explain why teens are worried about how one looks, dresses, speaks Argues that adolescents are unable to differentiate their own feelings over those of other peoples By age 15 or 16, the teenager is able to differentiate his/her thoughts and needs from others and slowly self-esteem returns to pre-pubescent levels Limitation: highly descriptive and does not reliably predict an individual’s behavior

Evaluating adolescent research There is disagreement about the concept of adolescence. Many theorists do not see it as a discreet, unique stage of development. There also significant cultural differences in how it is defined. Much of the research available is Western in bias. Many of theories related to adolescence are difficult to falsify or empirically test. Modern research on the teenage brain appears to be more promising than earlier theories of adolescence. Much of the research is carried out by retrospective interviews and surveys. This is open to memory distortion. Much of the research is also correlational in nature, which means that causation cannot be determined.

Adolescence Recap Your test next week: � 1 ERQ � 15 MC (Abnormal and Developmental)