PSY 205, Human Development, Unit 5 Study Guide
Chapter 14:
1. Define puberty and describe the sequence of puberty for boys and girls. Be sure you understand what
menarche and spermarche are. 341-342
Puberty- years of rapid physical growth and sexual maturation that end childhood
Girls puberty - nipple growth , pubic hair, growth spurt, widening of the hips, first menstrual period (menarche), pull
pubic hair pattern, and breast maturation.
Boys puberty - growth in testes, initial pubic-hair growth, growth of penis, first ejaculation (spermarche), appearance
of facial hair, peak growth spurt, deepening of voice, final pubic hair growth
1. What is a hormone according to your text on page 342.
Bodily chemicals that regulate hunger, sleep, moods, stress, sexual desire, immunity, reproduction and basically
everything else
1. What is the HPA axis, and what roles do the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands play in it?
342
The HPA is the sequence of hormone production that originates in the hypothalamus and ends in the adrenal glands
Hypothalamus signals the pituitary gland to produce hormones, the pituitary gland regulates and signals hormone
production of the adrenal glands, adrenal glands release more hormones
1. What is the HPG axis, and what roles to the hypothalamus, pituitary, and gonads play in it? 342
HPG - hypothalamus - pituitary - gonad axis - sequence of hormones dealing with sex hormones
Hypothalamus - signals pituitary gland to make hormones
Pituitary - signals sex glands ( ovaries or testes )
Gonads- release sex hormones
1. Define estradiol and testosterone. Remember that GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone) causes the
gonads to enlarge and dramatically increase production of these two hormones. 343
Estradiol - female sex hormone, considered chief estrogen, much more in women than men
Testosterone - male sex hormone , best known male androgen , much more in men than women
1. What is a circadian rhythm, and what happens to the circadian rhythm related to be more alert during
daylight hours for many adolescents? 344
Circadian rhythm is the body’s natural regulatory cycle of day-night or sleep cycle , occurs approximately every 24
hours
Often times teenagers become less energized during the days and more hunger and restless at night
1. What does chapter 14 mean by “lopsided” brain growth, and why is it a problem for adolescents? Give at
least two examples of how teens’ “lopsided” brains can get them into trouble. Don’t forget to mention the
, nucleus accumbens and the presence of peers in your discussion. This question will appear as an essay on
the next test. 345-348
Lopsided growth is the idea that even though teenagers may know right from wrong and be able to apply it to
hypothetical situations, oftentimes thinking even more logically than adults, when strong emotions are involved they
fail to correlate that logic into action during real world scenarios. Having peers around often increases this
lopsidedness because it can cause even more cortisol to flood the brain. Since teenagers' prefrontal cortex is already
less connected to the limbic system than adults, this increase in cortisol can temporarily shut down the prefrontal
cortex and affect judgement. The nucleus accumbens is a region of the ventral striatum that’s connected to the limbic
system, especially heightened in teen years and is linked to teens seeking approval or taking dangerous risks in the
presence of peers that they wouldn’t take on their own.
1. A recent study suggested that, on average, boys took about _2-5_ years from the beginning to the end of
puberty, while girls took _2-5 years____. For most, girls are less than a ___1-2 years______ahead of boys
when it comes to the hormonal and sexual changes of puberty. 348
2. ___two thirds_______of the age variation in the onset of puberty is believed to be genetic. 348
3. What is a secular trend, and what has the secular trend in the onset of puberty been over the past three
centuries? 349
A secular trend is a long term upward or downward direction of a set of statistics, for example over the past two
centuries because improved nutrition and medical care children tend to reach adult height earlier and height has
increased.
1. According to the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, puberty begins between 8-13
years of age for girls and 9-14 years for boys (remember this fact). Why is early puberty “problematic” for a
society’s health according to your text? 351
It increases the rate of emotional and behavioral problems , including serious psychopathology
1. What is the growth spurt in adolescence, and what does the sequence weight-height-muscles refer to? 352
A sudden and rapid physical growth that occurs during puberty. Weight gain usually comes before a height growth
spurt and then muscles will appear later on
1. Define body image, primary sex characteristics, and secondary sex characteristics. 353-355
Body image - a persons idea of how their body looks
Primary sex characteristics - parts of the body that are directly involved in reproduction, including the vagina, uterus,
ovaries, testicles, and penis
Secondary sex characteristics - not directly involved in reproduction but that indicate sexual maturity, man’s beard or
woman’s breasts
1. What are 3 key take-aways (in your opinion) from the discussion of body satisfaction on page 354?
The number of people trying to lose weight is more than double what it “needs” to be, based on who is actually
overweight
None of them eat enough vegetables
Most are very active and spend time outdoors or in the gym
Chapter 14:
1. Define puberty and describe the sequence of puberty for boys and girls. Be sure you understand what
menarche and spermarche are. 341-342
Puberty- years of rapid physical growth and sexual maturation that end childhood
Girls puberty - nipple growth , pubic hair, growth spurt, widening of the hips, first menstrual period (menarche), pull
pubic hair pattern, and breast maturation.
Boys puberty - growth in testes, initial pubic-hair growth, growth of penis, first ejaculation (spermarche), appearance
of facial hair, peak growth spurt, deepening of voice, final pubic hair growth
1. What is a hormone according to your text on page 342.
Bodily chemicals that regulate hunger, sleep, moods, stress, sexual desire, immunity, reproduction and basically
everything else
1. What is the HPA axis, and what roles do the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands play in it?
342
The HPA is the sequence of hormone production that originates in the hypothalamus and ends in the adrenal glands
Hypothalamus signals the pituitary gland to produce hormones, the pituitary gland regulates and signals hormone
production of the adrenal glands, adrenal glands release more hormones
1. What is the HPG axis, and what roles to the hypothalamus, pituitary, and gonads play in it? 342
HPG - hypothalamus - pituitary - gonad axis - sequence of hormones dealing with sex hormones
Hypothalamus - signals pituitary gland to make hormones
Pituitary - signals sex glands ( ovaries or testes )
Gonads- release sex hormones
1. Define estradiol and testosterone. Remember that GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone) causes the
gonads to enlarge and dramatically increase production of these two hormones. 343
Estradiol - female sex hormone, considered chief estrogen, much more in women than men
Testosterone - male sex hormone , best known male androgen , much more in men than women
1. What is a circadian rhythm, and what happens to the circadian rhythm related to be more alert during
daylight hours for many adolescents? 344
Circadian rhythm is the body’s natural regulatory cycle of day-night or sleep cycle , occurs approximately every 24
hours
Often times teenagers become less energized during the days and more hunger and restless at night
1. What does chapter 14 mean by “lopsided” brain growth, and why is it a problem for adolescents? Give at
least two examples of how teens’ “lopsided” brains can get them into trouble. Don’t forget to mention the
, nucleus accumbens and the presence of peers in your discussion. This question will appear as an essay on
the next test. 345-348
Lopsided growth is the idea that even though teenagers may know right from wrong and be able to apply it to
hypothetical situations, oftentimes thinking even more logically than adults, when strong emotions are involved they
fail to correlate that logic into action during real world scenarios. Having peers around often increases this
lopsidedness because it can cause even more cortisol to flood the brain. Since teenagers' prefrontal cortex is already
less connected to the limbic system than adults, this increase in cortisol can temporarily shut down the prefrontal
cortex and affect judgement. The nucleus accumbens is a region of the ventral striatum that’s connected to the limbic
system, especially heightened in teen years and is linked to teens seeking approval or taking dangerous risks in the
presence of peers that they wouldn’t take on their own.
1. A recent study suggested that, on average, boys took about _2-5_ years from the beginning to the end of
puberty, while girls took _2-5 years____. For most, girls are less than a ___1-2 years______ahead of boys
when it comes to the hormonal and sexual changes of puberty. 348
2. ___two thirds_______of the age variation in the onset of puberty is believed to be genetic. 348
3. What is a secular trend, and what has the secular trend in the onset of puberty been over the past three
centuries? 349
A secular trend is a long term upward or downward direction of a set of statistics, for example over the past two
centuries because improved nutrition and medical care children tend to reach adult height earlier and height has
increased.
1. According to the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, puberty begins between 8-13
years of age for girls and 9-14 years for boys (remember this fact). Why is early puberty “problematic” for a
society’s health according to your text? 351
It increases the rate of emotional and behavioral problems , including serious psychopathology
1. What is the growth spurt in adolescence, and what does the sequence weight-height-muscles refer to? 352
A sudden and rapid physical growth that occurs during puberty. Weight gain usually comes before a height growth
spurt and then muscles will appear later on
1. Define body image, primary sex characteristics, and secondary sex characteristics. 353-355
Body image - a persons idea of how their body looks
Primary sex characteristics - parts of the body that are directly involved in reproduction, including the vagina, uterus,
ovaries, testicles, and penis
Secondary sex characteristics - not directly involved in reproduction but that indicate sexual maturity, man’s beard or
woman’s breasts
1. What are 3 key take-aways (in your opinion) from the discussion of body satisfaction on page 354?
The number of people trying to lose weight is more than double what it “needs” to be, based on who is actually
overweight
None of them eat enough vegetables
Most are very active and spend time outdoors or in the gym
