Essay
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Chapter Eight
Rites of Passage: Physical and Cognitive Development in
Adolescence
8.1 Pubertal Changes
Signs of Physical Maturation
• Puberty consists of two changes that mark the change from childhood to young adulthood – Dramatic increases in height, weight, and
changes in body’s fat and muscle content – Changes in the reproductive organs that
mark sexual maturity, as well as secondary sexual characteristics (body and facial hair, growth of breasts)
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Physical Growth
• During the adolescent growth spurt, females gain as much as 15 pounds a year and boys 17 pounds – Girls begin the growth spurt about 2 years
before boys – Muscle fibers become thicker and denser;
heart and lung capacity increase, more so for boys
– Body fat increases, more so for girls
Sexual Maturation
• Primary sex characteristics are the organs of reproduction
• Secondary sex characteristics denote physical signs of maturity not directly linked to reproduction
• Menarche is the onset of menstruation in girls • Spermarche is the first spontaneous
ejaculation of sperm-containing fluid
Psychological Impact of Puberty
• Body image – Girls are more critical of their appearance
and are likely to be dissatisfied • Especially when friends often discuss
appearance – Boys are more likely to be pleased with
appearance • Most displeased when falling short of an
idealized masculine body image • Peers aren’t the source of displeasure
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Response to Menarche and Spermarche
• Girls usually share the news with mothers right away and later with friends – Traditional societies publicly celebrate
menarche, but not industrialized ones • Less is known about boys’ reactions to
spermarche – Feel more positively if prepared for it (e.g.,
by reading) – Rarely tell parents and friends
Moodiness
• Rapid increases in hormones related to greater irritability and impulsivity, but not moodiness
• Adolescents are moodier than children or adults – They experience more changes in activities
and social settings each day
Rate of Maturation
• Early maturer: 11 (boys); 9 (girls)
• Late maturer: 15-16 (boys); 14-15 (girls) • Early maturation’s effects on girls’ sexual
activity varies among U.S. ethnic groups • Transition to puberty has fewer long-lasting
effects for boys compared to girls
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8.3 Information Processing during Adolescence
Brain Growth in Adolescence
• By the beginning of adolescence, the brain is 95% of adult size and weight
• Myelination and synaptic pruning are nearly complete
• Limbic system reaches maturity – Involved with reward, desire, pleasure, and
emotional experiences • Frontal cortex continues developing • Adolescents are more prone to risky behavior
because desire swamps inhibition
How Does Information Processing Improve in Adolescence?
• Adolescence is not a distinct stage for information-processing theorists
• This period is simply one in which rapidly changing childhood cognitive processes are �tweaked� to adult levels
• Changes do take place in certain areas of cognition
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Working Memory & Processing Speed
• Speed of cognitive processing changes little after age 12
• Adolescents’ working memory capacity is about the same as adults
• Their greater information-processing efficiency reflects increased axonal myelinization – Allows more rapid neural communication
Content Knowledge
• Adolescents are equally knowledgeable to adults in certain domains and more so in others (e.g., computers)
• This knowledge indirectly enables them to learn, understand, and remember more new experiences
Problem-Solving and Reasoning
• Children use heuristics (rules of thumb), whereas adolescents are analytical and logical
• Adolescents are skilled at finding weaknesses in arguments or flaws in reasoning
• Like adults, they sometimes use heuristics to find a �good enough,� effortless solution
• Also like adults, their beliefs sometimes interfere with analytical, logical thought
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8.4 Reasoning about Moral Issues
Kohlberg’s Theory: Levels 1 and 2
• Level 1 – preconventional: punishment & reward – Stage 1: obedience to authority – Stage 2: nice behavior in exchange for
future favors • Level 2 – conventional: social norms
– Stage 3: live up to others’ expectations – Stage 4: follow rules to maintain social
order
Kohlberg’s Theory: Level 3
• Level 3 – postconventional: moral codes – Stage 5: adhere to a social contract when it
is valid – Stage 6: personal moral system based on
abstract principles • Individuals purportedly move progressively
through the six stages – In sequential order only – Cannot skip stages
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Support for Kohlberg’s Theory
• Longitudinal studies show that people do progress sequentially; do not skip stages
• Moral reasoning and moral behavior are linked
• However, moral reasoning is inconsistent across situations
• Certain cultures do progress through the six- stage sequence, somewhat supporting his claim of universality
Cultural Differences in Moral Reasoning
• Some cultures do not stress the individual rights and justice so central to Kohlberg’s theory – Hindus: stress caring and one’s duty to
others • Cultures espousing different moral principles
may differently resolve moral dilemmas • Kohlberg’s stages are not universal
– His theory applies mainly to Western philosophical and religious traditions
Beyond Kohlberg’s Theory
• Carol Gilligan criticized Kohlberg’s theory as being geared to Western men, who stress a justice ethic – Western women stress the ethics of care
• Results show very small gender differences – Adolescents and adults of both genders
will reason based on care or justice – The situation affects whether and which
reason dominates
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Promoting Moral Reasoning
• Open discussion of moral dilemmas with someone (e.g., parents) who reasons one stage higher – Especially helpful when the more
advanced partner paraphrases the other’s viewpoint to highlight possible inconsistencies or other issues to consider
• Religious involvement and communities – May promote a sense of duty to others and
concern for others