CH13: Early Adulthood - Physical & Cognitive Development

Question 1

Emerging Adulthood

Answer 1

A theoretical period of development spanning the ages of 18 to 25, when young people in developed nations engage in extended role exploration.
* Most people do not feel they have fully attained adulthood until age 25
* Young adults are at their height of sensory sharpness, strength, reaction time,
and cardiovascular fitness
* Young adults are at their tallest

Question 2

Adaptive Thermogensis

Answer 2

The process by which the body converts food energy (calories) to heat at a lower rate when a person eats less because, for example, famine or dieting.

Question 3

Substance Abuse

Answer 3

A persistent pattern of use of a substance characterized by frequent intoxication and impairment of physical, social, or emotional well-being.

Question 4

Substance Dependence

Answer 4

A persistent pattern of use of a substance that is accompanied by physiological addiction.

Question 5

Tolerance

Answer 5

Habituation to a drug requires increasingly higher doses to achieve similar effects.

Question 6

Abstinence Syndrome

Answer 6

A characteristic cluster of symptoms that results from a sudden decrease in the level of usage of a substance.

Question 7

Hallucinogenics

Answer 7

Drugs that give rise to hallucinations.

Question 8

Dysmenorrhea

Answer 8

Painful menstruation.

Question 9

Prostaglandins

Answer 9

Hormones that cause muscles in the uterine wall to contract, as during labour.

Question 10

Amenorrhea

Answer 10

The absence of menstruation.

Question 11

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)

Answer 11

The discomforting symptoms that affect many women during the 4- to 6- day interval preceding their periods.

Question 12

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)

Answer 12

A condition similar to but more severe than PMS.

Question 13

Dating Violence

Answer 13

Assaults such as verbal threats, pushing, and slapping are committed by an individual in an intimate relationship and often leading to injuries that require first aid.

Question 14

Sexual Harassment

Answer 14

Deliberate or repeated unwanted comments, gestures, or physical contact.

Question 15

Crystallized Intelligence

Answer 15

One’s intellecutal attainments, as shown, for example, by vocabulary and accumulated knowledge. Crystallized Intelligence refers to the ability to utilize skills and knowledge acquired via prior learning (Horn, 1969). The use of crystallized intelligence involves the recalling of pre-existing information as well as skills.

Question 16

Fluid Intelligence

Answer 16

Mental flexibility; the ability to process information rapidly.

Question 17

Dualistic Thinking

Answer 17

Dividing the cognitive world into opposites, such as good and bad, or us verses them.

Question 18

Relativistic Thinking

Answer 18

Recognition that judgements are often not absolute but are made from a certain belief system or cultural background.

Question 19

Pragmatic Thought

Answer 19

• Labouvie-Vief’s Theory
• Decision-making is characterized by a willingness to accept reality and compromise.
• Cognitive-affective complexity: harbour positive and negative aspects at the same time

Question 20

Cognitive-affective Complexity

Answer 20

A mature form of thinking that permits people to harbour positive and negative feelings at the same time about their career choices and other matter.

Question 21

What happens to fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence with aging?

Answer 21

On average, fluid abilities decline throughout adulthood, whereas crystallized abilities show gains into old age. Around ages 35-40.

Crystallized intelligence is your stored knowledge, accumulated over the years. The two types work together and are equally important. They both increase through childhood. Fluid intelligence decreases with age and crystallized intelligence remains stable or continues to increase with age.

Question 22

“Big Five” adult role transitions

Answer 22

• Left home
  ○ Completed education
  ○ Started a career
  ○ Married
  ○ Had kid(s)

Question 23

Contributing factors that cause people to “take long growing up”

Answer 23

Technological revolution, sexual revolution,
feminist movement, youth movement

Question 24

The brain and nervous system in young adulthood

Answer 24

• Functional and structural connectivity can still be strengthened (thro cognitive training & exercise)
• Brain maturation is reached around age 30
• The developmental process reaches a balance
• Most functions have specialized in specific areas of the brain
• Integration of brain functions becomes fully developed

Question 25

Reproductive capacity in young adulthood

Answer 25

* Risk of miscarriage and other complications starts to increase after age 30 * Fertility drops steadily after the 20s (more slowly for men)

Question 26

Immune System in young adulthood

Answer 26

* Adults produce fewer antibodies than children and adolescents * Highly responsive to psychological stress and depression

Question 27

Determinants of health in young adulthood

Answer 27

* Biology and genetics: organs and body systems, DNA * Socioeconomic: early childhood development, education, socioeconomic status, personal health behaviours, culture, gender, employment, and social support * Health care system: medical services, hospital and medical clinics, community and home-based health care services, medical and health care professionals * Physical environment: adequate housing, safe workplace and communities, and clean air, water and soil

Question 28

Primary Aging

Answer 28

Changes associated with normal aging that are inevitable and caused by intrinsic biological or genetic factors. Examples include the loss of melanin, which causes gray hair, and decreased skin elasticity.

Question 29

Secondary Aging

Answer 29

The aggravated causes of ageing can be called as secondary causes. For example, secondary ageing processes result from degenerative diseases (mentioned above) and poor health practices (lack of exercise, smoking, excess fat ingestion, and other forms of self-damage).

Question 30

Prevalence of obesity in young adults

Answer 30

In the rise (30% of adults) * Possible cause: Adaptive thermogenesis: survival strategy that does not always help

Question 31

Common causes of death in young adults

Answer 31

* Injuries and poisons (intentional or unintentional) are the most common cause of death (70%) * Followed by cancer (8%)

Question 32

Exercise recommendation

Answer 32

30 minutes a day, 5 times a week

Question 33

Depressants

Answer 33

* Slow down nervous system * Alcohol, narcotics, sedatives

Question 34

Stimulants

Answer 34

* Speed up heartbeat and other bodily functions * Nicotine, cocaine, and amphetamines * Depress appetite

Question 35

Locus of control

Answer 35

Within psychology, Locus of Control is considered to be an important aspect of personality. The concept was originally developed Julian Rotter in the 1950s (Rotter, 1966). Locus of Control refers to an individual's perception about the underlying main causes of events in his/her life.

Question 36

Locus of control: High Internal

Answer 36

People with a high internal locus of control believe that they control their own success or failure; that success or failure is not the result of chance or fate. People who develop an internal locus of control believe that they are responsible for their own success.

Question 37

Locus of control: High External

Answer 37

Having a high external locus of control would mean that one attributes success or failure to factors outside of their control. Those with an external locus of control believe that external forces, like luck, determine their outcomes.

Question 38

Self-efficacy

Answer 38

Self-efficacy refers to an individual's belief in his or her capacity to execute behaviors necessary to produce specific performance attainments (Bandura, 1977, 1986, 1997). Self-efficacy reflects confidence in the ability to exert control over one's own motivation, behavior, and social environment.

Question 39

Menstrual Problems

Answer 39

* Dysmenorrhea * Menstrual migraines * Amenorrhea * Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) - exercise and diet * Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)

Question 40

Prevalence/Stats Sexual Orientation

Answer 40

* LGBTQ2S+ experience 3x more discrimination than heterosexuals * Homophobia is still present despite changes in legislation

Question 41

Sexual Activity Peak

Answer 41

* Combination of youth and opportunity * “Canadians have more sex partners in a lifetime than people in most other countries, and we are also more sexually adventurous, spending more time on foreplay and intercourse.”

Question 42

Prevalence of Dating Violence

Answer 42

* The most common form of violence against women in Canada, particularly Indigenous women * Higher risk in dating partners than spouses and in rural than urban settings

Question 43

Prevalence of Sexual Harassment & Sexual Assault

Answer 43

* Women are at higher risk - 37/1000 women - 5/1000 men * 1 in 12 college men commit acts that are legally defined as rape * Most occur in the context of established social and romantic relationships - 1/4 of sexual assauts are commited by strangers

Question 44

Postformal Thought & Development

Answer 44

* Young adults are more cognitively complex than adolescents, with fluid and crystalized intelligence increasing. * Labouvie-Vief's theory of pragmatic thought notes that "cognitively healthy" adults are more willing than egocentric adolescents to compromise and deal with the world as it is, not as they would like it to be; the develop cognitive-affective complexity that enables them to harbour both positive and negative feelings about their choices.

Question 45

Dialectical thinking

Answer 45

refers to the ability to view issues from multiple perspectives and to arrive at the most economical and reasonable reconciliation of seemingly contradictory information and postures.

Question 46

Post-secondary Education prevalence

Answer 46

Almost ⅔ of Canadians aged 25 to 64 have a post-secondary education - More Canadian women than men

Question 47

Intrinsic reasons for working:

Answer 47

* Work ethic: this view believes that we are morally obligated to avoid idleness. * Self-identity: Our occupational identity because intertwined with our self-identity * Self-fulfillment: We often express our personal needs and interests through our work. * Self-worth: Recognition and respect for a job well done contribute to self-esteem. * Socialization: The workplace extends our social contacts. * Public roles: Work roles help define our functions in the community.

Question 48

Extrinsic reasons for working:

Answer 48

* Earning a living * Fringe benefits * Future security

Question 49

Developmental tasks when beginning a job

Answer 49

* Accepting the subordinate status * Learning to get along with co-workers and supervisor * Finding a mentor * Showing progress

Question 50

Career development stages

Answer 50

* Fantasy/growth stage - Unrealistic, based on social status - Until the end of elementary school (until age 11) * Tentative choice/exploratory stage - Base choice on abilities, interests, and status - Throughout high school * Realistic choice/established stage - Narrow choices as they weigh job requirements - Take into account rewards, requirements, and skills - Throughout university * Maintenance stage - Settling, sense of moving forward - Late 30’