PSY 3105 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Human Penis Size, Nocturnal Emission, Synaptic Pruning

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 3105
• Professor: David Collins

Document Summary

Puberty: derived from the latin word pubescere" which means to grow hairy , the body undergoes a biological revolution that dramatically changes the adolescent"s anatomy, physiology, and physical appearance. Hormones, puberty, and growth: endocrine glands produce hormones that control growth, the hypothalamus controls the endocrine system, endocrine system includes pituitary, gonads, gonads are ovaries (females) and testes (males, gonads produce sex hormones: estrogens, androgens. The hpg axis: feedback loop involving hypothalamus, pituitary, gonads, hypothalamus monitors levels of sex hormones, when levels too low, hypothalamus signals pituitary, pituitary signals gonads: produce more hormones, at puberty, set point for hormones rises. Sexual development during adolescence: reproductive organs mature, ovaries (girls) produce egg cells or ova, testes (boys) produce sperm cells, genitals (penis, vagina) become more adult-like, secondary characteristics breasts, pubic hair, tanner stages describe course of pubertal development. Kikuyu culture in kenya (worthman, 1987: boys show the first physical changes of puberty before their female peer, a reversal of the western pattern.