Lecture 8 - Adolescent Development PDF

Lecture 8 - Adolescent Development Overview Intro to Adolescence Puberty Neurobiological Development Psychological Development Studies of Adolescence Intro to Adolescence What is Adolescence? Critical period of development Defined by malleability and plasticity Ages 10-25 Adolescence: A socially d...

Lecture 8 - Adolescent Development Overview Intro to Adolescence Puberty Neurobiological Development Psychological Development Studies of Adolescence Intro to Adolescence What is Adolescence? Critical period of development Defined by malleability and plasticity Ages 10-25 Adolescence: A socially defined construct Transition Completing postsecondary education Gaining financial independence Starting a career Getting married Difference in timing for poor (early onset) vs wealthy (late ending) Adolescent Development Highly malleable period Brain changes Highly influenced externally Window of change Still need scaffolding and support Puberty Pubertal Development Andrenarche (ages 6-9): Maturation of Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal (HPA) axis - and adrenal androgens Adrenarchal hormones continue to rise and peak in early 20s Gonadarche (9-11) Reactivation of hypothalamic pituitary gonadal axis (HPG) Rise contributes to breast and genital development Menarche - The arrival of the first period (in girls) Andrenarche The time when adrenal hormones increase in a process that is largely independent of sexual maturation Associate with pubic ad axillary hair growth Occurs before secretion of sex-steroids Gonadarche The earliest gonadal changes that mark the onset of puberty Many consider the onset of puberty Gonadotropins: Increase in the production of the sex steroids Estradiol (an estrogen hormone) and testosterone Lead to ovary, breast and teste development First signs: testicular development and thelarche Measuring Pubertal Development Pubertal status How far along in maturation - Tanner stage Pubertal timing How mature an adolescent is compared to same sex peers Pubertal tempo Within individual metric of development Influences on Puberty Pubertal Timing Variations Impact of Stress and Environmental Factors Early pubertal timing - accelerated maturation by premature activation of the HPA and HPG axes Early life experiences Sexual abuse: lowers menarche age Linked to internalised symptoms in girls: anxiety declines after monarch Physical abuse: rapid tempo Environmental Factors Influencing Pubertal Timing Parental harshness and father absence - early menarche Sex differences Girls Obesity and low birthweight are associated with earlier pubertal maturation Boys Overweight - early maturation and obesity associated with later pubertal maturation Chemicals Age of pubertal development is older in those with higher chemicals (flame retardants) in the blood Influence of chemicals on pubertal development may start during utero exposure Puberty and Social Norms Changes self image - menarche tied to shame Social consequences: changing relationships Pubertal maturation - associated with sexual harassment Early Puberty: Social effects Puberty and Stress Sensitivity Pubertal hormones alter responses to stress Girls particularly impacted Interaction between cortisol and age, puberty and sex Cortisol promotes positive adaptation in the brain and body Neurobiological Development Brain changes Changes in grey and white matter Gray matter changes include synaptogenesis and synaptic pruning Formation and disappearance of synapse Myelination increase: increases quality and speed of neuron to neuron communication Brain Changes Cortical thinking: Gray matter reduction and increased white matter organisation Increased connectivity of important circuitry and pruning unnecessary synapses Improves quality of neuronal connections - improves brain function Structural Brain Changes Pre-frontal cortex Top-down processing Executive function, planning and decision making Improve connectivity-cortical and subcortical Subcortical: Basal Ganglia, hippocampus and amygdala Psychological Effects Executive Functioning Self regulation Developing top-down processes Heightened memory Increased sensitivity to learning and reward Heightened sensitivity to threat - more likely for impulsivity to threat Social and Emotional Development Increasing Complexity and Integration Integrate multiple perspectives Integrates experiences across contexts Deepen ability to understand complex and abstract phenomena Identity Cohesion: Who am I? Sense of self and identity becomes more integrated, coherent and stable over time “Achieved” identity and integrated sense of self - positive wellbeing across the life course Identity and Self Neurobiological Perspective Integration of neural circuity (Caey et al., 2016) - create sense of cohesion in self Self evaluation associated with development of: Ventromedial PFC: inhibition of emotion in decisions and self control ACC: error and conflict detection Associated with identity and self related processes in value-based decision making Social Identities Ethnic-racial Sexual orientation and gender identity Identity complexity Social identity and neurobiology Identity development in context Ethnic Racial Most youth of colour ERI exploration and group pride is associated with psychosocial, academic and health outcomes Positive youth development ERI: Multidimensional Beliefs about group how race/ ethnicity relate to self definition Immigrant youth: negotiation of culture of origin and host country Sexual orientation and gender identity Emergence of awareness of sexuality Salience of gender roles and expression Sense of self related to gender and sexuality are solidified Social support = drop in age of coming out from 20 to 14 Health disparities continue to hold strong with LGBTQ youth Greater visibility and victimisation - more bullying and peer regulation Higher homophobic bullying in recent years (Toomety and Russell, 2016) Need for policies and programs to help communities and schools and families to support LGBTQ Identity Development Develops in specific socio-cultural, political and historical contexts Radical changes in social acceptance and awareness of varying sexual and gender identities Attention to gender changes in celebrities coincides with growing awareness and emergence of transgender children Intersectionality: Investigations of intersecting axes of opposition shape development Challenge able bodied norm Autonomy Balance between autonomy and connection Autonomy means individuating from one’s family but not detaching Older adolescents have more autonomy than younger adolescents Most want autonomy for moral decisions Younger adolescents: Want control over personal and conventional matters Overestimate how much autonomy peers have Agency: Taking Action Growing competencies for flexible problem solving, awareness of and concern for others, openness to exploration and novelty Social action – adaptive means for coping with systemic injustice Critical consciousness: critical reflection, motivation and action Greater recognition of injustice and sense of agency/efficacy to respond to it Associated with vocational and educational attainment Relationship Formation Intimate partnerships form Erikson: Identity→ Intimacy Brown Four-Phase model: Initiation: Awakening of interest and focus on self and one’s confidence/ability Status: Seen in context of status with peers Affection: Shift of focus to romantic relationship, greater intimacy and less focus on group Bonding: Relationship is seen as a long-term commitment Relationship Development Time with same sex peers increases from 8 to 14 Time with opposite sex peers increases steadily around age 13 Supervised vs Unsupervised time: supervised correlated with academic performance Parent child relationships become more reciprocal during adolescence Studies of Adolescent Neurodevelopment Why is Adolescence Important? Important developmental period where resilience can be fostered Prevention of health problems Can buffer social inequalities Promote pro-sociality- period of opportunity #PS406