PSY BEH 101D Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Telomere, Degenerative Disease, Allostatic Load
Lecture 6: Milestones of Physical Development:
Adolescence to Old age
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
2:05 PM
Adolescence:
Puberty: dramatic
o Increase in hormones
Testosterone (18 fold in boys, 2 fold in girls)
Estrogen (8 fold for girls, 2 fold for boys)
o Rapid physical growth, height
o Changes in facial structure
o Secondary sexual characteristics (hair, voice)
o Psychological changes, stress, eating, exercising, etc. influence hormonal changes.
Ex. Early puberty in non-nurturant and hostile environments.
Brain development:
o "motor acceleration works, but the breaks don't work"
o Brain grows like a tree, even though size stops, branches and twigs still grow.
o More dopamine in the frontal part of the brain in adolescence.
More attuned to seeking reward, pleasure, and thrills.
Taking more risks, recklessly, vulnerable to peer pressure.
Not thinking about the long-term consequences.
Midlife:
Menopause:
o Women: 39-59y.
12+ consecutive months of having no periods.
More variable in timing than puberty
Rapid decline in estrogen production in ovaries.
Menstrual period ceases
Some experience symptoms: hot flashes, insomnia, mood instability
o Men: 40-70y
Gradual decline in testosterone and sperm count
Not loss of fertility unlike women.
50% erectile dysfunction.
Age of physical peak performance:
o Combination of skill and capacity at peak ages.
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