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PSYC 1322 ADOLESENT PSYCHOLOGY EXAM (2025/2026) QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADED A+ NIAGARA COLLEGE What is Adolescence? second decade of life, used to be considered the teen years, period of adole. has lengthened Define Puberty period of lifespan in which an individual becomes capable of sexual reproduction, no new hormones are produced HPG Axis hypothalamus, pituitary gland, gonads Sex Hormones Androgens and Estrogens Pack Height Velocity time that adolescents are growing most quickly
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What is Adolescence?
second decade of life, used to be considered the teen years, period of adole. has lengthened
Define Puberty
period of lifespan in which an individual becomes capable of sexual reproduction, no new hormones are produced
HPG Axis
hypothalamus, pituitary gland, gonads
Sex Hormones
Androgens and Estrogens
Pack Height Velocity
time that adolescents are growing most quickly
Skeletal Changes
bones become harder, denser, more brittle; conclusion of puberty
What triggers puberty?
Presence of sexually mature people, nutritional resources, physically changes
3 major physical changes
Adolescent growth spurt, development of primary sex characteristics (gonads), development of secondary sex characteristics (breasts, pubic hair, voice)
Early Puberty
higher affluence/economic advantages, better nourishment throughout younger years, better health conditions, less cohesive family, household no natural father, small amounts of stress
Eating Disorders
Serious but treatable illness with medical and psychiatric aspects
Most commonly known eating disorders
anorexia/bulimia
Duration of eating disorder
77% report from 1-15 years
How many with anorexia die
as many as 10%
What contributes significantly to death in eating disorders
suicide
What percent of cause of eating disorders are genetic?
Diathesis Stress Theory
Biological disposition byt the environment has to lend to it too
Anorexia
substantial self-induced weight loss or refusal to maintain weight at or above minimal normal weight for age and height (less than 85% of what is expected), irrational/morbid fear of gaining weight, intense drive for thinness, amenorrhea (absence of at least 3 consec periods)
two subtypes of anorexia
classic food restriction (ANR) and binge-purge subtypes (ANBP)
Signs and Symp. of Anorexia
feeling cold compared to peers, hair loss/thinning scalp, development of lanugo hair (fair/downy hair face/back), decreased blood pressure/dizziness, decreased heart rate, dry skin/brittle nails, sad, depressed, irritable, moody, sensitive, perfectionistic, self-critical
Binge-Eating Disorder
eating much more rapidly than normal, eating until uncomfortably full, eating large amounts of food when not hungry, eating alone because of embarrassment, feeling disgusted with oneself, marked distress, absence of regular compensatory behavior
Bulimia Diff
people with this disorder realize that their eating patterns are not normal and are frustrated/ashamed by that knowledge; much more prevalent, person's weight has little to do with this disorder
development of deductive reasoning
"if-then" thinking, major intellectual accomplishment
Ability to comprehend higher-order abstract logic such as:
puns, proverbs, metaphors
Start to understand:
interpersonal relationships, politics, philosophy, religion, morality
metacognition
thinking about thinking; monitoring one's own cognitive activity during the process of thinking
increased introspection
thinking about one's own emotions
increased self-consciousness
thinking about other's thinking of us
increased intellectualization
thinking about our own thoughts
Adolescent Egocentrism
extreme self absorption
Imaginary Audience
own behavior is the focus of other's concern
Limbic System
changes in levels of certain neurotransmitters like dopamine affect emotional experiences, stress and reward sensitivity; plays important role in the processing of emotional experience, social info, reward/punishment
Full maturation of prefrontal cortex
sometime between adolescence and early adulthood
Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex
important for planning ahead
Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex
gut decision making
Conduct problems caused by
prefrontal cortical development is less mature than normal
limbic system matures when
at puberty
prefrontal cortex matures when
several years later
what does the time gap between limbic system and prefrontal cortex maturing explain
why adolescence is a period of high risk taking
What regions stop growing at puberty
regions involved in language acquisition
Risks
behaviors contributing to injuries/violence, unwanted pregnancies/STIs, alcohol/drug use, unhealthy diet
Status Quo of teen risk
Focuses on perspective, teens vs adults teens optimize chances for reward and adults minimize chances for punishment
Evolutionary Perspective of risk taking
some scientists suggest that we take certain risks because through our evolutionary history it too has enhanced our chances for survival; tougher/stronger; more appealing to mates
Emerging Adulthood
coined by Jeffery Ernett, 18-23, not officially ready to be adults, have to have money to do it
Development of Autonomy
adult status leads to shifts in responsibility, independence and freedom
Adolescence as Social Invention
defined primarily by socieral distinction of period from childhood to adulthood; varies across time and place
Changes in Status
given privileges/rights reserves to society's adults; increased expectations for self- management, personal responsibility, social participation
Changes in Interpretation Status
addressed with adult titles, maintain new types of social relationships with parents/adults/younger individuals
Changes in Political Status
permission for more extensive participation in community's decision making; expected to serve community
Changes in Economic Status
own property/maintain control over income, get a job, pay taxes
Changes in Legal Status
gambling, purchasing alcoholic bevs, driving, smoking
Process of Social Redefinition
Clarity
explicitness of the transition
Continuity
smoothness of the transition
Not much clarity
no universally formal initiation ceremony, go straight from graduating to work to marriage
Given absence of clarity
people of the same chronological age may feel more mature/less mature than agemates
Continuous transitions
gradual transitions where the adolescent assumes the roles and status of adulthood bit by bit
Discontinuous transitions
sudden transitions where the adolescent's entrance into adulthood is more adrupt
Contemporary Society
discontinuous, call to improve school to work transition, youth apprentiveship
Menarche
The time of first menstruation, one of the most important changes to occur among females during puberty
Endocrine System
The system of the body that produces, circulates, and regulates hormones
Hormones
Highly specialized substances secreted by one or more endocrine glands
Glands
HPG Axis
The neurophysiological pathway that involves that hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the gonads
Adrenarche
The maturation of the adrenal glands that takes place during adolescence
Cortisol
A hormone produced when a person is exposed to stress
Leptin
A protein produced by the fat cells that may play a role in the onset of puberty
Organizational role (of hormones)
The process through which early exposure to hormones, especially prenatally, organizes the brain or other organs in anticipation of later changes in behavior or patterns or growth
Activational role (of hormones)
The process through which changes in hormone levels, especially at puberty, stimulate changes in the adolescent's behavior, appearance, or growth
Adolescent growth spurt
the dramatic increase in height and weight that occurs during puberty
Peak height velocity
the point at which the adolescent is growing most rapidly
Epiphysis
the closing of the ends of the bones, which terminates growth after the adolescent growth spurt has been completed
Tanner stages
a widely used system that describes the five stages of pubertal development
