Term
| Development of the Physical Self |
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Definition
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Brain Growth
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•Birth Weight is 25% of adult
•6 months Weight is 50% of adult
•2 years Weight is 75 % of adult
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Term
| Development of the Physical Self |
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Definition
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•Changes in height and weight
–Rapid increase in height and weight over first two years
–Growth is more gradual during middle childhood
–Puberty (early adolescence) there is another rapid growth spurt
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Term
| Development of the Physical Self |
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Definition
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This is due to development/growth of
–Existing neurons (axons and dendrites)
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Connections between neurons (synapses)
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Glial cells (which surround, support,
and protect neurons)
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Term
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Definition
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–Brain has billions of neurons
•store and transmit information
•have connections with other neurons
–Synapses between neurons allow for communication
–Environmental stimulation increases number of synapses
–Neurons that are rarely stimulated will lose their synapses (synaptic pruning)
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Term
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Definition
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–Half of the brain’s volume
–Do not carry messages
–But responsible for myelinization
•Myelinization -- neural fibers are coated with an insulating fatty sheath (myelin) that improves efficiency of message transfer between neurons
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Term
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Definition
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–Occurs at different times in development and in different parts of the brain as different abilities are acquired
•For example
–as reflexes are replaced with voluntary control, motor area of the brain develops most rapidly
•What’s going on “outside” is matched by changes “inside”
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Term
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Definition
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•Stimulation plays a role in brain development
•Brain size can be modified by environmental experience
–For example, “enriched” rats’ brains weigh more than those of the “isolated” rats
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Term
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Definition
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–More stimulating environments = increase in number of dendrites in a neuron
–More dendrites = more synapses to other neurons, which = more information can be sent through these synaptic connections
–Differences in experience likely greater during early development
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Term
| hemispheric specilization |
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Definition
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•Right and left hemisphere connected by corpus callosum (bunch of nerve fibers)
–Each hemisphere controls different functions
–BUT, there is a lot of “cross-wiring” between the two
–Both hemispheres have a role in most functions
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Term
| specilization occurs early in life |
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Definition
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•Right hemisphere
–Perception of faces
–Tactile sensations
–Visual/spatial
–Nonspeech sounds, e.g., music
•Left hemisphere
–Language
–Speech
–Hearing
–Verbal memory
–Decision making
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Term
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Definition
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•Both hemispheres
–Involved in most functions
–For example,
•A person’s verbal comment (left hemisphere) to you doesn’t match his/her facial expression (right hemisphere)
•Both are required to correctly interpret
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Term
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Definition
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•Do genes affect height and weight?
•Genetic factors strongly influence height and weight when children have good nutrition
•Tendency for being over-weight strongly determined by genetic factors
–Doesn’t “show up” until about age 6
–Cannot predict infant’s eventual weight and height from birth weight
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Term
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Definition
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–Nutrition has major influence on growth patterns
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–Malnourished older children may “catch up” to better nourished peers
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–Catch-up growth is tendency to regain a normal course of growth after deprivation
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–The earlier and longer malnutrition, the more difficult it is to “catch-up”
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Term
| Development of the brain during adolescence |
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Definition
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•Changes in thinking during adolescence (formal operations) related to brain development
•Myelinization (which continues in adolescence) explains the greater attention spans and faster information processing
•Reorganization of neural circuitry of the prefrontal cortex (involved in higher-order cognitive activity) continues at least into early 20s
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Term
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Definition
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–Sedentary living
–Quality of food
–Higher educated, higher SES weigh less
•Better information about nutrition
•Can afford to buy foods with less fat content
–Parental modeling of food consumption
–Parental encouragement of eating
•Teaches external vs. internal cues for eating
•Please get with a partner to give examples of external cues
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Term
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Definition
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–High correlation between adopted children’s and their biological parents’ weight
–No correlation between adopted children’s and adopted parents’ weight
–Identical twins more similar in weight than fraternal twins
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Term
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Definition
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–More young women than men (about 9 to 1)
–White
–Emerges at puberty (most often)
–Initially normal weight or even somewhat underweight
–<1% prevalence
–5%-10% die of starvation or suicide
–Depressed
–Socially withdrawn
–Obsessive-compulsive with need to control
–Relatively high SES
–High achieving, protective families
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Term
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Definition
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–Many more women
–White
–Emerges late adolescence/ early twenties
–Initially overweight or normal weight
–1%-3% prevalence
–Rarely diet to starvation and death
–Depressed
–Extroverted
–Relatively high SES
–More conflicted, chaotic families
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Term
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Definition
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•Anorexia
–Less successful than for bulimia
–Family therapy more effective than hospital-based behavior mod. program for long term recovery
•Bulimia
–More successful than for anorexia
–Treatment includes nutrition education, support groups
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Term
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Definition
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•Puberty is when a person reaches sexual maturity
•Timing of puberty in the United States
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Term
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Definition
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•Timing of puberty in girls
–Sexual maturation is a process which begins at about age 9 to 11
–Average age of menarche (first period) is 12
–Young girls may menstruate without ovulating
–Some girls may remain unable to reproduce for 12 to 18 months after menarche
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Term
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Definition
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•Timing of puberty in boys
–Sexual maturation is a process which begins at about age 10 to 13
–Physical changes occur
•Testes grow; scrotum thins, darkens and descends; penis grows longer and wider
–Boys begin to produce sperm at about age 13 to 14 ½
–“Early” maturation in boys is considered to be when this process begins about age 9
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Term
| trands regarding pubretal trends in girls |
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Definition
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•In 1900, the average age at menarche was 14 to 15
•In 1950, the average age at menarche was 13 ½ to 14
•In 1990, the average age at menarche was 12 ½
•Currently, “early” puberty for girls is before the age of 8
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Term
| Secular trend toward earlier maturation? |
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Definition
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•For girls, this seemed to be the case until rather recently
•Data for boys is more mixed
•However, trend toward earlier sexual maturation for both genders appears to have leveled off
•Secular trend for both genders attributed to better nutrition and better health care
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Term
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Additional environmental factors in girls’ development
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Definition
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–Divorce (including father absence and presence of a stepfather/boyfriend) and family conflict are associated with early menarche -- Why?
•Girls in negative family environments respond with an unconscious process
• Foundation in evolution and natural selection theory
• In high-risk environments the most adaptive female response is to reproduce early and often
•Allows her to bear children and transfer her genes to a future generation
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Stepfather (boyfriend) presence related to
–earlier menarche
–the earlier the stepfather became present, the earlier the onset of menarche
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Term
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Correlates of timing of puberty in girls
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Definition
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•Early maturing have disadvantages compared to on time or later maturing
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–Not prepared because less likely to have information from parents or from health courses
•Report more disturbances in
•body image
•emotional problems (e.g., depression and anxiety)
•show more problem behaviors (e.g., drinking, sexual promiscuity, and aggression)
–Have a smaller group of friends who are older
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–Others hold higher maturity standards because of physical appearance not level of psychological development
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Term
Correlates of timing of puberty in girls
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Definition
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•Early maturation has been found to be associated with certain health risks
•breast cancer
•obesity
•teenage pregnancy
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•More likely to marry young and give birth to first child at an earlier age
•More likely to divorce and show a lower quality of parental involvement with their children
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Term
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Correlates of timing of puberty in boys
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Definition
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•Less data than for girls; more mixed findings
•Some evidence that early maturing boys have an advantage
–More positive body image
–Perceived as more attractive by peers
–More popular with peers
–Remember this time more positively
•Some evidence of negative short-term outcomes to early maturation
–More likely to drink and smoke
–More risk-taking
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Term
Correlates of timing of puberty in boys
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Definition
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•Some evidence that late maturing boys at disadvantage
–More immature acting
–More attention-seeking
–Parents and teachers have lower academic expectations
–Achievement scores actually are lower
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