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