Psyc Module 11

Major Milestones of Puberty

• Puberty is triggered by hormones, typically beginning between ages 7 and 8.
• Gonadotrophic hormones play a central role in initiating puberty.
• Girls generally achieve sexual maturity by ages 12 to 13.
• Boys typically achieve sexual maturity later than girls.

Body and Brain Differences in Adolescents

• Myelination in the brain continues to progress steadily during adolescence.
• A U-shaped development pattern is observed in grey matter volumes, reflecting changes in brain structure.
• Adolescents experience rapid growth in height, alongside increases in muscle mass and fat.
• Sexual behaviors during adolescence can increase the risk of teen pregnancy.
• Understanding one's sexual orientation is a gradual process, influenced by hormonal, genetic, and environmental factors, and may not be complete until early adulthood.

Sensation-Seeking in Adolescents

• Adolescents often engage in sensation-seeking behaviors, leading to increased recklessness.
• This desire for heightened arousal can contribute to a higher incidence of accidents and injuries.

Piaget's Formal Operational Stage

• Adolescents enter Piaget's formal operational stage, allowing them to apply cognitive operations to both hypothetical ideas and real objects.
• Formal operational thinking is not universally applied; some may not use it consistently, even if capable.
• This stage enables adolescents to formulate hypotheses and systematically test them to solve problems.

Advances in Information Processing

• Adolescence is marked by improvements in memory function and information processing capabilities.
• Teens become more proficient in metacognition (thinking about thinking), metamemory (understanding memory processes), and strategy use.

Transition to Secondary School

• Transitioning to secondary school can lead to declines in academic performance and self-esteem.
• Children shift from task goals, aimed at self-improvement, to ability goals, focused on surpassing others.