DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY EXAM 10 2025/2026
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Adolescence - Developmental stage between childhood and adulthood
Puberty - Period during which sexual organs mature; begins earlier in girls (11 or 12) than in boys (13
or 14)
-pituitary gland signals other glands to begin producing sex hormones (leptin also appears to play a
role in onset of puberty)
Androgens - Male sex hormones
Estrogens - Female sex hormones
Puberty in girls - Changes in vagina and uterus; menarche; breast development; hormone changes
may lead to depression or anger
Menarche - Onset of menstruation
Factors that affect start of menarche - Environmental and cultural factors; it varies in different parts
of the world; more affluent, better nourished, healthier girls start earlier; obesity leads to early
maturity (proportion of fat to muscle plays a role in timing); environmental stress can cause earlier
start
Puberty in boys - Growth of penis and scrotum; spermarche (usually occurs around age 13); voice
deepens; hormone fluctuations lead to anger and annoyance
Spermarche - First ejaculation
Girls' body image and puberty - Girls tend to have higher self-esteem, a rise in status, and self-
awareness when they begin menstruating; girls are often unhappy with their developing bodies
(societal pressures)
Effects of early and late puberty - Early: kids tend to be more popular, but not ready to deal with
dating; reactions depend on cultural norms
, Late: leads to decline in self-esteem; dating lives suffer
Adolescent growth spurt calorie requirements - Growth spurt requires an increase in food (calcium
and iron): average girl needs 2,200 calories, average boy needs 2,800 calories
Adolescent obesity - Most common health concern: 1 in 5 adolescents are overweight, and 1 in 20
are obese; psychological and physical health consequences; obese adolescents have an 80% chance
of being obese in adulthood; lack of exercise, sedentary lifestyle, and availability of fast food
contributes
Anorexia nervosa - Severe eating disorder; individuals refuse to eat; primarily affects white women
between 12 and 40; 15-20% starve themselves to death; 10% of anorexics are male
Bulimia nervosa - Characterized by binges and purges (vomiting, laxatives, etc.); can cause heart
failure
Adolescent brain changes - Number of neurons grow - interconnections richer, more complex;
pruning of oversupply of gray matter, 1-2% each year; myelination increases; thinking becomes more
sophisticated
Prefrontal cortex - Part of brain for complex thought
-grows through adolescence and does not fully develop until 20
-responsible for complex intellectual achievements
-provides impulse control (immature in adolescents, which explains risky and impulsive behaviors;
adolescents underestimate risk and overestimate rewards of a behavior)
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that no one under the age of ______ could be executed - 18;
neuroscientists argue that teens' brains are still developing and they are somewhat incapable of
making sound decisions
Adolescent's sleep pattern - Adolescents' internal clock shifts to needing to sleep later'; sleepy teens
have lower grades, more depressed, and prone to mood swings
Illegal drugs - 1 in 15 high school seniors use marijuana daily; adolescents use drugs to seek pleasure,
escape pressure, and fit in (some use stimulants to improve academic performance); addictive drugs
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Adolescence - Developmental stage between childhood and adulthood
Puberty - Period during which sexual organs mature; begins earlier in girls (11 or 12) than in boys (13
or 14)
-pituitary gland signals other glands to begin producing sex hormones (leptin also appears to play a
role in onset of puberty)
Androgens - Male sex hormones
Estrogens - Female sex hormones
Puberty in girls - Changes in vagina and uterus; menarche; breast development; hormone changes
may lead to depression or anger
Menarche - Onset of menstruation
Factors that affect start of menarche - Environmental and cultural factors; it varies in different parts
of the world; more affluent, better nourished, healthier girls start earlier; obesity leads to early
maturity (proportion of fat to muscle plays a role in timing); environmental stress can cause earlier
start
Puberty in boys - Growth of penis and scrotum; spermarche (usually occurs around age 13); voice
deepens; hormone fluctuations lead to anger and annoyance
Spermarche - First ejaculation
Girls' body image and puberty - Girls tend to have higher self-esteem, a rise in status, and self-
awareness when they begin menstruating; girls are often unhappy with their developing bodies
(societal pressures)
Effects of early and late puberty - Early: kids tend to be more popular, but not ready to deal with
dating; reactions depend on cultural norms
, Late: leads to decline in self-esteem; dating lives suffer
Adolescent growth spurt calorie requirements - Growth spurt requires an increase in food (calcium
and iron): average girl needs 2,200 calories, average boy needs 2,800 calories
Adolescent obesity - Most common health concern: 1 in 5 adolescents are overweight, and 1 in 20
are obese; psychological and physical health consequences; obese adolescents have an 80% chance
of being obese in adulthood; lack of exercise, sedentary lifestyle, and availability of fast food
contributes
Anorexia nervosa - Severe eating disorder; individuals refuse to eat; primarily affects white women
between 12 and 40; 15-20% starve themselves to death; 10% of anorexics are male
Bulimia nervosa - Characterized by binges and purges (vomiting, laxatives, etc.); can cause heart
failure
Adolescent brain changes - Number of neurons grow - interconnections richer, more complex;
pruning of oversupply of gray matter, 1-2% each year; myelination increases; thinking becomes more
sophisticated
Prefrontal cortex - Part of brain for complex thought
-grows through adolescence and does not fully develop until 20
-responsible for complex intellectual achievements
-provides impulse control (immature in adolescents, which explains risky and impulsive behaviors;
adolescents underestimate risk and overestimate rewards of a behavior)
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that no one under the age of ______ could be executed - 18;
neuroscientists argue that teens' brains are still developing and they are somewhat incapable of
making sound decisions
Adolescent's sleep pattern - Adolescents' internal clock shifts to needing to sleep later'; sleepy teens
have lower grades, more depressed, and prone to mood swings
Illegal drugs - 1 in 15 high school seniors use marijuana daily; adolescents use drugs to seek pleasure,
escape pressure, and fit in (some use stimulants to improve academic performance); addictive drugs
