Adolescence

Adolescence

1. society usually describe adolescence's risk-taking behaviors in a negative way, but actually positive for development

2. A normal, adaptive, & significant period of development characterized by substantial change, similar to early childhood in terms of opportunity to influence long-term outcomes & potential

   • not simply defined by age grade or pubertal stage
     • begin: onset of puberty; end: when individuals assume the roles, right, & responsibilities of adulthood
       • gradual period o transition from childhood to adulthood
       • varies by culture
       • (e.g. moving away from the family, bearing children, financial independence)
       • When "mature enough" to be trusted with certain responsibilities?
         • people are marrying later
           • adolescence period might end later than before
         • Financial independence takes longer achieve
           • Average cost of college gone up--> harder to go to college without depending on someone
           • Economic crises--> more people over 18 live with their parents and being financially supported by pat
   • participate in activities and relationships that take on new meaning and nurture a sense of identity, agency, self-reliance, & social engagement

3. changing?

   • percentage characteristic adolescent behavior has changed(decreased) since 1970s
     • researchers used the rise of internet to explain the plummet

4. Why important?

   • large percentage of the world's population
     • In 2015: 3.1 billion under 25-->42%
       • projected to grow to 3.4 billion by 2050
     • Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean: 90% of young people; 0-14(1.7 billion); 15-24(1.1 billion)
     • 25% between 10-24
       • 90% data from high-income countries but 9/10 lives in low and middle income countries
         • not sufficient information
   • function to establish independence
   • brain and biological systems become more sensitive to certain kinds of experiences
     • creates risks as well as opportunities to support positive development and address some earlier negative experiences
     • Can lead to the formation of life-long interests and passions
       • strongest adult musical preference set in at age 13 and men at 14 (childhood influences are stronger for women than for men)
         • songs are identity forming more likely to find rewarding and emotional
         • highest ranked songs by adult women debuted when they were teen or younger

5. A striking paradox

   • most fit physically/ innovative pioneers in many fields/ more receptive to new knowledge etc.
   • more addictive/risk-taking behaviors/ engage in more conflicts
     • most death from unintentional injury(48%) -->motor vehicle traffic accident(73%) less skilled and more risk-taking

6. adolescent brain development

   • Why important
     • to understand
       • relation between puberty and brain function
       • developmental changes in behavior from childhood through adulthood
       • gains in socioemotional skills
     • adolescence marks a period of increases in psychiatirc disorders
       • spike in hormones might trigger the some preexisting psychological problems
   • Theoretical models
     • highlight the difference in maturation rates of brain systems(emotion, social and reward processing vs. regulation of behavior)
       • a bit outdated, only focus a few regions, not so connected
     • Dual-system model (Steinberg)
       • at puberty: increase in dopamine in socioemotional system-->increases in sensation seeking and risky decision making
         • outpacing the development and engagement of the cognitive control system
           • This temporal gap leads to heightened vulnerability to behaviors
     • Triadic model (Ernst)
       • attribute the determinants of motivated behavior to
         • prefrontal cortex
         • striatum
         • amygdala
         • focuses on how the maturational timing of each contributes to age-related difference in motivated behavior
     • Imbalance model (Casey)
       • developmental changes in the neurochemical, structural, and functional composition of the brain proceed on distinct timelines
         • some brain regions exhibit the changes earlier in development than other brain regions
           • differential engagement across different stages of development-->an imbalance of how these regions bias behavior

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