chapter 11, 11-3b onwards

Question 1

describe the physiological changes of puberty and what causes it?

Answer 1

puberty brings several major physiological changes of puberty, triggered by hormonal activity such as:

a. adolescent growth spurt: a phase of rapid growth in height and weight, starting around age 9-10 in girls and 10-12 in boys

b. secondary sex characteristics

c. primary sex characteristics

d. key milestones such as menarche (first menstruation) and spermarche (first ejaculation)

e. sexual maturation continues into the late adolescence

f. timing of puberty is shifting: puberty now begins earlier and progresses faster than in past generations; likely caused by improved nutrition, medical care, and possible environment endocrine disrupters.

Question 2

what are the psychological consequences of early or late maturation?

Answer 2

early maturation is often linked to:
- more substance abuse
- risky behaviour
- aggression
- legal trouble
- eating disorders

Question 3

what has been found on research of neural development in adolescence?

Answer 3

• adolescence involves neural restructioning, especially in the prefrontal cortex
• white matter increases causing better neural connectivity
• grey matter decreases causing more efficient neural network.
• these changes are seen mostly in the prefrontal cortex - the last brain region to mature (often not until the mid-20s)
• reward systems (dopamine circuits) mature earlier than the prefrontal cortex causing a mismatch that leads to risk-taking
• heightened sensitivity to rewards like food, money, drugs, and excitement
• peer influence significantly boosts risk-taking

Question 4

identify the formation of adolescence (Erick Erickson)

Answer 4

Erick Erickson:
- identified adolescence as the 5th stage of his 8 stage psychological development theory.
- the central challenge is the development of clear and stable identity
- adolescence ask themselves
“who am I, what do I want in life?”
- when identity is unclear or unstable, it can result in identity confusion linked to:
1. substance abuse
2. risky sexual behaviour
3. low self worth
4. eating disorders.

Question 5

identify the formation of adolescence (James Marcia - 4 identity statuses based on levels of crisis and commitment)

Answer 5

James built or erick’s ideas and identified 4 identity statuses based on levels of crisis and commitment:
1. identity diffusion
- lack of commitment and exploration
2. identity foreclosure
- premature commitment to values and roles
- associated with conformity and low openness
ex: wanting to purse a career because both your parents have that career
3. identity moratorium
- active exploration without a commitment
- trying different options
4. identity achievement
- successful resolution after exploration
- results in a clear direction and sense of self
* identity achievement is linked to:
- higher self-esteem
- conscientousness
- security
- achievement motivation
- capacity for intimacy

Question 6

explain the concept of emerging adulthood with respect to Jeffrey Arnett

Answer 6

Jeffrey Arnett proposed a new life stage called “emerging adulthood” occuring at the ages 18 - 25 and is the “new transition stage” in modern studies. this is influenced by:
1. delayed marriage/parenthood
2. extended education
3. barriers to financial education

Question 7

what are the features of emerging adulthood?

Answer 7

1. feeling “in between”
   - most in this age don’t feel fully adult of fully adolescent
   - when asked if they feel like adults, the common answer is “yes and no”
2. age of possibilties
   - great optimism about personal potential and the future
3. self-focused time
   - fewer social obligations and increased freedom for self-exploration
4. instability and change
   - continuing struggles with identity and life direction

Question 8

what are the criticisms and limitations to the features of emerging adulthood

Answer 8

1. some scholars argue that emerging adulthood applies to middle/upper class white youth, not working-class individuals
2. Arnett argues the stage exists across social classes, through outcomes vary by class.

Question 9

discuss personality development in Adulthood

Answer 9

• studies have found that while personality traits remain stable across decades, some levels can show meaningful trends.

ex: neuroticism (negative emotions like anxiety, sadness, self-doubt, etc) tends to decline while agreeableness, openness, and conscientiousness increases throughout adulthood, until later years when some traits begin to reverse direction.

Question 10

what are the 3 stages of adulthood based on Erickson’s theory of psychosocial development?

Answer 10

1. intimacy vs isolation (early adulthood) - the focus is on forming close relationships
2. generativity vs self-absorption (mid-adulthood) - emphasizing concern for future generations
3. integrity vs despair (late adulthood) - people reflect on their lives with either satisfaction or regret

Question 11

discuss transitions in family relationships

Answer 11

• adulthood involves major transitions in family life such as:

1. delay in marriage - influenced by educational and career goals, especially for women.
2. cohabitation before marriage - became more common and is no longer linked to higher divorce rates. adjusting to marriage can be challenging especially when balancing work, finances, etc..
3. research shows that marital satisfaction declines after birth of children especially for mothers:
   - can be reduced with shared parenting duties and emotional support
   - as children grow, parent-child relationships shift and can be stressful for parents.
   - in later adulthood, as the population ages, issues such healthcare, loneliness, and end-of-life reflection become central

Question 12

discuss the physical changes associated with aging

Answer 12

1. brain tissue and weight decline: after 60, there’s a decline in brain tissue and weight because:
   a) fewer active neurons in some brain regions
   b) shrinkage of existing active neurons
2. cognitive speed:
   a) mental speed in learning, problem-solving, and processing info declines with age, starting as early as middle adulthood. despite this, problem-solving ability can remain intact if older adults are not rushed.
3. memory changes
   a) episodic memory (personal experiences) tend to decline with age more than:
   b) sematic memory (general knowledge)

Question 13

alzhemier’s disease affects:

Answer 13

accounts for ~70% of dementia.
dementia affects
- 10% of ppl aged 65 - 69
- 33% of ppl over 85

*as of 2020, 747,000 people in canada live withn alzheimer’s

Question 14

symptoms of alzherimer’s is marked by:

Answer 14

• early forgetting of newly learned info
• working memory, attention, and executive function impairments
• later symptoms include restlessness, hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia
• ends in full disorientation and inability to care for oneself over 8-10 years

Question 15

what are the brain changes in someone with dementia

Answer 15

progressive widespread neuron loss starting at the hippocampus, then spreading.

structural deterioation begins 15 - 20 years before symptoms show

Question 16

causes and risk factors of dementia

Answer 16

1. genetics - accounts for up to seventy percent of variation in risk, though specific genes are not fully understood
2. chronic inflammation is a possible contributor

Question 17

what are the risk reducing factors of dementia

Answer 17

1. regular exercise
2. cardiovascular health
3. coginitive stimulation
4. diet

Question 18

research and support on dementia

Answer 18

Jill Rick found that alzheimer’s patients struggle more withy unconstructed tasks, especially those requiring semantic judgements.

as for now, there are no cures but some treatments slow down the disease’s progression.
- high levels of mental activity may delay decline like mentally demanding jobs, encouraging new skills like quilting or photography can enhance episodic memory
- bilinguialism helps preserve cognitive function

Question 19

what are the types of memory?

Answer 19

1. semantic - general knowledge/facts
2. episodic - personal
3. procedural -skills/tasks

Question 20

what are the attitudes about death

Answer 20

4 topic on attitudes:

1. general trend in western society
2. cultural variatons
3. age and death anxiety
4. emotional experiences at the bring of death

Question 21

1. general trend in western society (attitudes about death)

Answer 21

• death is often a taboo subject
• people typically use euphamisms like “passed away” to avoid discussing it directly
• the most common reaction is avoidance

Question 22

2. cultural variations (attitudes about death)

Answer 22

• in mexican culture, death is openly acknowledged and even celebrated, such as on the Day of the Dead national feast
• this shows that negativism and avoidance are not universal responses to death

Question 23

3. age and death anxiety (attitudes about death)

Answer 23

• anxiety about death typically decreases from early to late adulthood
• older adults are more anxious about uncertainties leading up to death than about death itself

Question 24

4. emotional experiences at the bring of death (attitudes about death)

Answer 24

• researchers analyzed blog posts of terminally ill patients and final words of death row inmates
• positive emotional words were used more frequently than negative ones (regret or terror)
• these findings challenge assumptions about dying being overwhelmingly negative.

Question 25

what is the process of dying

Answer 25

Elizabeth Ross did research and interviewed terminally ill patients and proposed 5 new stages individuals might experience: 1. denial 2. anger 3. bargaining 4. depression 5. acceptance

Question 26

different mechanisms when coping with bereavement

Answer 26

- bereavement = coping with the loss of a loved one -cultural differences in mourning: a) north american/western cultures - encourage individuals to break emotional ties quickly and return to regular life b) asian, african and hispanic cultures - encourage ongoing emotional connections with the deceased. Ex: japanese homes contain altars to ancestors and family members speak to the dead.