Lecture notes:
Adolescent Development
Content
Lecture 1 – Introduction to the study of adolescence
Lecture 2 – Emotional and Moral development
Literature week 1
Introduction / Ch1 (13-33) / Ch3
Ch9 (250-261) / Coe-Odess et al., 2019
Lecture 3 – Cognitive and brain development
Lecture 4 – Self and Identity
Literature week 2
Ch2 / Ch9 (244-250)
Ch8
Lecture 5 – Psychopathology
Literature week 3
Ch13 (375-383) / Ballonof Suleiman & Dahl, 2017 / Orben et al., 2020
Lecture 6 – Substance use and Delinquency
Literature week 4
Ch13 (348-375) / Degenhardt et al., 2016
, Lecture 1 – Introduction to the study of adolescence
a) What is adolescence?
‘Teenage brain’ is often perceived as negative
Undesirable behavior
Mostly perceived by adolescents on parents, parents and parents
on adolescents
Stanley Hall: first research psychologist to characterize adolescence
Period of storm and stress
Hormonal
Biologically determined
Unavoidable
Current view > Adolescence as a second window of opportunity ->
positive
- Rapid learning
- Brain development
- Vulnerability
- Opportunity
>Effects of negative stereotypes about adolescence -> more negative
expressivity
= less emotion regulation and more negative emotions
Self-fulfilling prophecy
Also affects behavior -> risk taking
Definition of adolescence : period between onset of sexual maturation
and the attainment of adult roles and responsibilities -> depends on
societal expectations
Adult monitoring self-responsibility
Age boundaries:
o Early adolescence – 10-13 years
o Middle adolescence – 14-17 years
o Late adolescence – 18-21 years
o Young adulthood – 22-30 years
o Emerging adulthood – 18-25 years
Three primary changes during adolescence:
1. Biological changes
Individual differences
Physical appearance
2. Cognitive changes
Reasoning
Empathy
, Self-conceptualization
3. Social domain (social roles)
Expectations regarding behavior and responsibilities
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Model -> effects of environment on
development
b) The beginning of adolescence
Puberty = maturational process -> capacity to reproduce
Primary sex characteristics (testes, ovaries)
Secondary sex characteristics (breasts, pubic hair)
5 areas of change:
1. Maturation of reproductive organs + secondary sex characteristics
2. Nervous and endocrine system
3. Skeletal growth
4. Body composition: distribution of fat and muscle
5. Circulatory and respiratory systems
Measuring pubertal development
Tanner staging (5 stages)
Girls: breasts / pubic hair
Boys: penis and testes / pubic hair
Self report
Line drawings of Tanner Stages (which one looks the most like
your body)
Questionnaires
Visual inspection by researcher
Hormones (saliva)
HPA- vs HPG-axis
HPA-axis
- Hypothalamus
- Pituitary glands
- Adrenal glands -> muscle tissue, skin changes, body hair
HPG-axis
- Hypothalamus
- Pituitary glands
- Gonads
Females: estrogen -> physical changes, menstruation
Males: testosterone -> sperm cells, physical changes
,Both can be the first activated during puberty (starting with pubic hair or
breasts)
Depends on set point
Factors influencing puberty:
o Genetics
o Increase in kisspeptin -> influenced by leptin & melatonin
o Environmental factors
SAFE Nutrition, health care (leptin)
UNSAFE Stress, conflict
Secular trend – group differences > earlier maturation and puberty
= onset of menstruation is declining over years
= growth (males) is increasing
Effects of early or late puberty on psychosocial effects
Early maturation – boys > desirable
o Increased popularity EMOTIONAL
o Improves self-concept and -esteem EMOTIONAL
o Small increase in internalizing problems EMOTIONAL
o Deviant friends BEHAVIORAL
o Risk-taking BEHAVIORAL
Early maturation – girls > undesirable
o Increased emotional difficulties (depression, self-image)
EMOTIONAL
o Increased popularity EMOTIONAL
o Deviant friends BEHAVIORAL
Maturational deviance hypothesis : early maturing girls/late maturing
boys stand out compared to peers in a time in which they want to fit in
Developmental readiness hypothesis : early girls struggle to cope with
early maturations, while early boys are relatively older and
psychologically more mature
Cultural desirability of body types : tall and muscular for boys, thin for
girls but they gain body fat
c) The end of adolescence
,Markers of adulthood
- Financial dependence
- Completion of education
- Working full time
- Leaving parental home x
- Getting married x
- Having children x
Average age of leaving parental home increases -> more constrains
Milestones are shifting
Adult social roles occur a decade after puberty
Adolescence has expanded to 6-15 years
Lecture 2 – Emotional and Moral development
a) Emotional Development – Emotion experiences
Adolescence is a crucial period for emotional development
- Emotional world increases
Autonomy, more situations that require emotion regulation
- Increase of emotional independency > detachment or
individualization
- Physiological changes
Hormonal changes
- Advanced cognitive abilities
Emotions
Situation -> stimulus
Primary Appraisal Process (physiological arousal)
Secondary Appraisal Process (interpretation of
stimulus/cognitive labeling)
, Emotional Experience
Emotion vs mood
- Emotion: shorter duration – specific cause
- Mood: longer duration – no specific cause
Measure of emotional experiences:
Retrospective assessment -> dependent on mood
Interviews
Questionnaires
Ambulatory assessment -> multiple reports on emotions
Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA)
Experience Sampling
Emotion intensity
Changes in anger
Anger intensity increases during middle adolescence, and decreases after
Decrease is caused by transition into adult roles
Changes in sadness
Sadness intensity increases during adolescence
Adolescents become less able to regulate sadness
Emotional independency
Changes in anxiety
Anxiety intensity increases during adolescence
More expectations from society
Thinking about opinions of others
Changes in happiness
Happiness intensity decreases during adolescence
Overwhelmed by other emotional experiences
Changes in self-conscious emotions
Higher prevalence of shame and guilt in adolescence
Increased reproductive hormones
Heightened sensitive to social status and feedback
Positive emotions are still reported most intense and often despite
changes
Emotion fluctuations
Younger
adolescents experience
Adolescent Development
Content
Lecture 1 – Introduction to the study of adolescence
Lecture 2 – Emotional and Moral development
Literature week 1
Introduction / Ch1 (13-33) / Ch3
Ch9 (250-261) / Coe-Odess et al., 2019
Lecture 3 – Cognitive and brain development
Lecture 4 – Self and Identity
Literature week 2
Ch2 / Ch9 (244-250)
Ch8
Lecture 5 – Psychopathology
Literature week 3
Ch13 (375-383) / Ballonof Suleiman & Dahl, 2017 / Orben et al., 2020
Lecture 6 – Substance use and Delinquency
Literature week 4
Ch13 (348-375) / Degenhardt et al., 2016
, Lecture 1 – Introduction to the study of adolescence
a) What is adolescence?
‘Teenage brain’ is often perceived as negative
Undesirable behavior
Mostly perceived by adolescents on parents, parents and parents
on adolescents
Stanley Hall: first research psychologist to characterize adolescence
Period of storm and stress
Hormonal
Biologically determined
Unavoidable
Current view > Adolescence as a second window of opportunity ->
positive
- Rapid learning
- Brain development
- Vulnerability
- Opportunity
>Effects of negative stereotypes about adolescence -> more negative
expressivity
= less emotion regulation and more negative emotions
Self-fulfilling prophecy
Also affects behavior -> risk taking
Definition of adolescence : period between onset of sexual maturation
and the attainment of adult roles and responsibilities -> depends on
societal expectations
Adult monitoring self-responsibility
Age boundaries:
o Early adolescence – 10-13 years
o Middle adolescence – 14-17 years
o Late adolescence – 18-21 years
o Young adulthood – 22-30 years
o Emerging adulthood – 18-25 years
Three primary changes during adolescence:
1. Biological changes
Individual differences
Physical appearance
2. Cognitive changes
Reasoning
Empathy
, Self-conceptualization
3. Social domain (social roles)
Expectations regarding behavior and responsibilities
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Model -> effects of environment on
development
b) The beginning of adolescence
Puberty = maturational process -> capacity to reproduce
Primary sex characteristics (testes, ovaries)
Secondary sex characteristics (breasts, pubic hair)
5 areas of change:
1. Maturation of reproductive organs + secondary sex characteristics
2. Nervous and endocrine system
3. Skeletal growth
4. Body composition: distribution of fat and muscle
5. Circulatory and respiratory systems
Measuring pubertal development
Tanner staging (5 stages)
Girls: breasts / pubic hair
Boys: penis and testes / pubic hair
Self report
Line drawings of Tanner Stages (which one looks the most like
your body)
Questionnaires
Visual inspection by researcher
Hormones (saliva)
HPA- vs HPG-axis
HPA-axis
- Hypothalamus
- Pituitary glands
- Adrenal glands -> muscle tissue, skin changes, body hair
HPG-axis
- Hypothalamus
- Pituitary glands
- Gonads
Females: estrogen -> physical changes, menstruation
Males: testosterone -> sperm cells, physical changes
,Both can be the first activated during puberty (starting with pubic hair or
breasts)
Depends on set point
Factors influencing puberty:
o Genetics
o Increase in kisspeptin -> influenced by leptin & melatonin
o Environmental factors
SAFE Nutrition, health care (leptin)
UNSAFE Stress, conflict
Secular trend – group differences > earlier maturation and puberty
= onset of menstruation is declining over years
= growth (males) is increasing
Effects of early or late puberty on psychosocial effects
Early maturation – boys > desirable
o Increased popularity EMOTIONAL
o Improves self-concept and -esteem EMOTIONAL
o Small increase in internalizing problems EMOTIONAL
o Deviant friends BEHAVIORAL
o Risk-taking BEHAVIORAL
Early maturation – girls > undesirable
o Increased emotional difficulties (depression, self-image)
EMOTIONAL
o Increased popularity EMOTIONAL
o Deviant friends BEHAVIORAL
Maturational deviance hypothesis : early maturing girls/late maturing
boys stand out compared to peers in a time in which they want to fit in
Developmental readiness hypothesis : early girls struggle to cope with
early maturations, while early boys are relatively older and
psychologically more mature
Cultural desirability of body types : tall and muscular for boys, thin for
girls but they gain body fat
c) The end of adolescence
,Markers of adulthood
- Financial dependence
- Completion of education
- Working full time
- Leaving parental home x
- Getting married x
- Having children x
Average age of leaving parental home increases -> more constrains
Milestones are shifting
Adult social roles occur a decade after puberty
Adolescence has expanded to 6-15 years
Lecture 2 – Emotional and Moral development
a) Emotional Development – Emotion experiences
Adolescence is a crucial period for emotional development
- Emotional world increases
Autonomy, more situations that require emotion regulation
- Increase of emotional independency > detachment or
individualization
- Physiological changes
Hormonal changes
- Advanced cognitive abilities
Emotions
Situation -> stimulus
Primary Appraisal Process (physiological arousal)
Secondary Appraisal Process (interpretation of
stimulus/cognitive labeling)
, Emotional Experience
Emotion vs mood
- Emotion: shorter duration – specific cause
- Mood: longer duration – no specific cause
Measure of emotional experiences:
Retrospective assessment -> dependent on mood
Interviews
Questionnaires
Ambulatory assessment -> multiple reports on emotions
Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA)
Experience Sampling
Emotion intensity
Changes in anger
Anger intensity increases during middle adolescence, and decreases after
Decrease is caused by transition into adult roles
Changes in sadness
Sadness intensity increases during adolescence
Adolescents become less able to regulate sadness
Emotional independency
Changes in anxiety
Anxiety intensity increases during adolescence
More expectations from society
Thinking about opinions of others
Changes in happiness
Happiness intensity decreases during adolescence
Overwhelmed by other emotional experiences
Changes in self-conscious emotions
Higher prevalence of shame and guilt in adolescence
Increased reproductive hormones
Heightened sensitive to social status and feedback
Positive emotions are still reported most intense and often despite
changes
Emotion fluctuations
Younger
adolescents experience
