PSYA02H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 10.3: Frontal Lobe, Prefrontal Cortex, Pubic Hair
Module 10.3: Adolescence
Physical Changes in Adolescence
- Puberty begins at approximately age 11 in girls and age 13 in boys, although there is a wide
range.The changes that occur during puberty are primarily caused by hormonal activity. Physical
growth is stimulated by the pituitary gland.
- Hypothalamus releases hormones such as testosterone and estrogen which contribute to the
development of primary and secondary sex traits in males and females
- Primary sex traits: changes in body that are part of reproduction (i.e. enlargement of genitals)
- Secondary Sex Traits: changes in body that are not part of reproduction (i.e. breast growth, pubic
hair, increased muscle size in men)
- Menarche: onset of menstruation occurring at age 12 for girls. Even the absence of a father or the
presence of a stepfather during development is associated with early onset of menarche
- Spermarche: first ejaculation of sperm at age 14 for boys
- Interestingly, puberty happens much earlier now than 100 years ago.American teens in the 19th
century started puberty at 16–17 on average; nowadays, about one-third of boys show the
beginnings of physical maturation at age 9 (Reiter & Lee, 2001), as do almost 40% of European-
American girls, and almost 80% of African- American girls (Herman-Giddens et al., 1997). This is
probably because of behavioural changes that increase body fat (e.g., poor nutrition, insufficient
exercise), and increased environmental stresses that increase stress hormones in the body.
- ecent research has shown that adolescence is a time of major brain changes as well. In
particular, the frontal lobes undergo a massive shift in myelination, speeding up neural firing by
up to 100-fold in those areas
Emotional Challenges in Adolescence
- One of the most flexible and powerful strategies for dealing with emotions is cognitive reframing,
whereby we learn to look at our experience through a different “frame.” For example, failure can
be reframed as an opportunity to learn, and a threatening experience as a challenge to be
overcome.
- Delay gratification: putting off immediate temptations in order to focus on longer-term goals
- Inability to delay gratification results in tendency to “live in the moment” which leads to
dysfunctional behaviour such as addiction and unsafe sex.
- Failing to appropriately delay gratification limits people’s ability to live up to their potential, setting
the stage for adulthoods in which they wonder “what might have been.”
- The child who could wait longer for a marshmallow at age 4 was better adjusted both
psychologically and socially at age 15, and by the end of high school, had higher SAT scores
- The ability to effectively choose reframing strategies, especially when under the grip of strong
emotions, relies on a sophisticated cognitive control network involving the frontal and parietal
lobes
working the scientific literacy model:
- Adolescents who selected the high-risk choice had less brain activity in their prefrontal cortex than those
who selected the low-risk choice (Figure 10.13; Shad et al., 2011). It seems that choosing the high-risk
gamble was, in a sense, easier; those teens simply focused on how much they wanted the bigger reward,
and ignored the higher likelihood that they would lose. On the other hand, making the low-risk choice
involved some neurological conflict; those teens wanted the bigger reward, but restrained themselves by
taking into account the probabilities.
- This study helps to shed light on adolescent decision making in general. Compared to adults, adolescents
have less-developed frontal lobes, and are therefore more likely to default to their strong reward impulses,
rather than restraining their desires as a result of more sober and complex calculations of what would be in
their best interest overall.This study lends support to the hypothesis that risky decision making by
adolescents has a basis in their still-developing frontal cortex.
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Document Summary
Puberty begins at approximately age 11 in girls and age 13 in boys, although there is a wide range. the changes that occur during puberty are primarily caused by hormonal activity. Physical growth is stimulated by the pituitary gland. Hypothalamus releases hormones such as testosterone and estrogen which contribute to the development of primary and secondary sex traits in males and females. Primary sex traits: changes in body that are part of reproduction (i. e. enlargement of genitals) Secondary sex traits: changes in body that are not part of reproduction (i. e. breast growth, pubic hair, increased muscle size in men) Menarche: onset of menstruation occurring at age 12 for girls. Even the absence of a father or the presence of a stepfather during development is associated with early onset of menarche. Spermarche: first ejaculation of sperm at age 14 for boys. American girls, and almost 80% of african- american girls (herman-giddens et al. , 1997).
