Deck 8: Physical Development

Question 1

The _____ refers to the fact that over the past few centuries, the average age of puberty has declined.

Answer 1

secular trend

Question 2

Celeste is about to enter puberty. Describe a few of the internal and external physical changes that she will undergo, in sequence, distinguishing between primary and secondary sexual characteristics. What hormones are involved in priming puberty?

Answer 2

The first change will be the growth spurt, followed by breast development and pubic hair-although NOT all girls begin the latter two changes in this order. Basically, every body organ will change, from the size of a girl's hips to the length of her vagina, along with skin changes and the growth of body hair. Examples of primary sexual characteristics: the widening of the uterus and vagina, and menstruation. Examples of secondary sexual characteristics: everything else. Hormones: the hypothalamic hormone primes the pituitary hormones to produce the gonadal hormones (testosterone and estrogens), which set off the physical changes.

Question 3

Describe the function and features of puberty rites, and discuss why having these coming-of-age celebrations would be difficult in developed nations today.

Answer 3

Puberty rites, a frequent feature in traditional agrarian societies, mark the physical transition to adulthood in a clearly structured way. They typically involve a pubertal boy or girl being separated from the family and then performing gender-specific "adult tasks," after which the child returns to the community as a full-fledged woman or man. While these celebrations have tremendous value in that they actively teach people the skills involved in being an adult, and mark the body changes that occur during puberty, they simply wouldn't work well in developed nations. The reason is that people in the developed world reach puberty a decade or more before they socially become adults.

Question 4

The first physical sign of puberty in girls is the _____.

Question 5

Iesha is an African American girl. Aamino lives in a poor area of Somalia. Spell out the likely differences in the timing of puberty for these girls and identify their causes. Will there be any differences in these children's rate of pubertal development?

Question 6

You are invited to return to your high school to institute a new and improved sex-education class. Outline your approach in one sentence.

Question 7

Imagine that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has invited you to write a Web-based public-health brochure offering tips for helping children during the prime years of pubertal change. (1) What advice would you offer school systems? (2) What might you tell parents?

Question 8

Breast development is an example of a(n) _____ sexual characteristic.

Question 9

Puberty _____ are coming-of-age ceremonies to celebrate puberty.

Question 10

Describe some forces that predict the timing of puberty.

Question 11

_____ is the name for all of the physical changes of puberty not directly involved in reproduction.

Question 12

The main hormonal command center programming puberty is called the _____ axis.

Question 13

In the United States, girls, on average, reach menarche about 6 months _____ than boys reach spermarche.

Question 14

To a worried mother, mention some forces that suggest that her daughter may have made the transition to intercourse.

Question 15

For females, childhood obesity is linked to reaching puberty at a(n) _____ age.

Question 16

Obi is undergoing puberty. List three primary and three secondary sexual characteristics he will experience.

Question 17

Manuel, a school nurse, wants to institute a program to combat eating disorders. First, help him to spell out the main target group of the children he most needs to reach. Then, discuss some intervention strategies.

Question 18

The onset of menstruation is an example of a(n) _____ sexual characteristic.

Question 19

Describe the social risks and potential psychological problems for a girl who matures earlier than her peers. Then, spell out protective influences that can mitigate those risks.

Question 20

_____ refers to all of the changes that are related to becoming physically adult.

Question 21

Rapid weight gain during _____ predicts reaching puberty at a younger age.

Question 22

Imagine a person living in rural Africa in the past and just reaching puberty. Which is NOT a true statement about this circumstance?

A) That person might be ready to get married.
B) His or her culture might celebrate a new adult life.
C) He or she would reach puberty at an older age than today.
D) His or her culture would downplay the changing body.

Question 23

Developmentalists advise taking special care to rearrange the environment with _____ girls.

Question 24

Early-maturing girls report more _____ family lives.

Question 25

With the eating disorder called _____, the person binges and purges.

Question 26

_____ is the term for all the internal and external changes involved in physically becoming an adult.

A) Puberty
B) Coming-of-age
C) Adolescence
D) Maturation

Question 27

Research suggests that adolescent males' HIGHEST priority in a relationship with a girlfriend is _____.

Question 28

African American girls tend to be _____ obsessed with their weight than European American girls.

Question 29

Researchers find teens want information about _____ in their sex education classes.

Question 30

_____ maturing teens tend to make the transition to intercourse at a younger age.

Question 31

Puberty rites have which feature?

A) being united with one's family
B) overcoming physically challenging tasks
C) participating in boring community celebrations
D) rebelling against the older generation

Question 32

_____ girls are MOST at risk of getting into trouble as teens.

Question 33

Why is teenage sexuality such a worry today, compared to how it was perceived in the past?

A) Girls now reach puberty a decade or more before they marry.
B) Teenagers are now less obedient.
C) The media now talks too much about sex.
D) People now encourage teens to have sex.

Question 34

In the twenty-first century in the United States, teenage pregnancy rates have _____.

Question 35

The MAIN reason for contemporary Western anxieties about teenage sexuality is that the body signals to have sex:

A) happen years before society says having intercourse is OK.
B) are stronger today than in the past.
C) are stronger in girls.
D) vary from child to child.

Question 36

Children who develop eating disorders generally have very low _____.

Question 37

In contrast to menarche, spermarche is usually _____ from mothers (and the outside world).

Question 38

According to the text, _____, in particular, enter puberty without any communication or guidance about what to expect.

Question 39

According to the _____, boys want sex and girls are supposed to resist.

Question 40

Children's first feelings of sexual desire are triggered by the adrenal androgens at about age _____.

Question 41

Which pubertal change is programmed by BOTH testosterone and the adrenal androgens?

A) sexual feelings
B) penis development
C) muscle mass
D) breast development

Question 42

Which force is NOT involved in programming the onset of puberty?

A) leptin
B) life stress
C) maturation or growth level
D) intelligence or academic skills

Question 43

Gilda is now feeling sexual desire. Which hormone caused these changes?

A) testosterone
B) estrogens
C) the pituitary hormone
D) the hypothalamic hormone

Question 44

Which is NOT an effect of the secular trend in puberty?

A) Teenage pregnancy is now more of a threat.
B) Puberty is now a pre-teen and early teenage change.
C) Girls now reach puberty much earlier than boys.
D) The body's signals to have sex now appear many years before people can marry.

Question 45

A puberty specialist is giving a talk on males, females, hormones, and pubertal changes. Which statement should she make?

A) "Although both sexes produce testosterone, boys have far higher levels of this hormone than girls."
B) "Female sexual desire is programmed by estrogens and male desire is programmed by testosterone."
C) "Only boys have testosterone."
D) "The adrenal androgens are irrelevant in programming puberty."

Question 46

Girls menstruated at an average age of 16 in the nineteenth century, but today some girls reach menarche as early as age 9. This phenomenon is called the _____ trend.

A) pubertal
B) spermarchal
C) secular
D) menarchal

Question 47

Joe's penis has recently grown longer, and his shoulders have become more muscular. Which hormone caused these changes?

A) testosterone
B) the adrenal androgens
C) estrogens
D) the hypothalamic hormone

Question 48

The first hormone that signals the onset of puberty is in the _____.

A) hypothalamus
B) pituitary gland
C) gonads
D) sex hormones

Question 49

_____ program(s) sexual feelings in girls and boys.

A) Testosterone
B) Estrogens
C) Leptins
D) Gonads

Question 50

Which is NOT true about testosterone?

A) It is produced in the gonads.
B) This hormone programs sexual desire.
C) It is only found in boys.
D) This hormone promotes the growth of facial and body hair.

Question 51

Which is the correct hormonal sequence that sets off puberty?

A) hypothalamic hormones, pituitary hormones, estrogens and testosterone
B) estrogens and testosterone, pituitary hormones, hypothalamic hormones
C) hypothalamic hormones, estrogens, pituitary hormones
D) pituitary hormones, adrenal androgens, hypothalamic hormones

Question 52

Sosha is a traditional Navajo girl. Sara is growing up in New York City. Compare their feelings about menarche.

A) Sosha will be more thrilled and excited than Sara.
B) Sara will be more thrilled and excited than Sosha.
C) Both girls will be equally thrilled and excited.
D) Both girls will dread this change.

Question 53

The FIRST hormone signaling puberty is in the _____.

A) testes
B) pituitary glands
C) gonads
D) hypothalamus

Question 54

Which is the LEAST likely emotion that will be felt by girls participating in a traditional puberty rite?

A) joy
B) pride
C) disgust
D) awe

Question 55

In the correct order, which organs are involved in programming puberty?

A) hypothalamus, adrenal glands, gonads
B) hypothalamus, pituitary, gonads
C) gonads, hypothalamus, pituitary
D) adrenal glands, gonads, hypothalamus

Question 56

For girls _____ is the FIRST sign of being able to have a child; the comparable sign for boys is called _____.

A) spermarche; menarche
B) menstruation; ejaculation
C) arousal; arousal
D) menarche; spermarche

Question 57

Huian's breasts are enlarging and her body is beginning to look womanly. Which hormone(s) DIRECTLY caused these changes?

A) testosterone
B) the adrenal androgens
C) estrogens
D) the hypothalamic hormone

Question 58

Which hormones program sexual desire?

A) the adrenal androgens and testosterone
B) testosterone and estrogen
C) the adrenal androgens, estrogen, and testosterone
D) the adrenal androgens and estrogen

Question 59

Which is an influence that helps program puberty?

A) body fat level.
B) parents' education level
C) social skills.
D) height.

Question 60

The hormones that DIRECTLY produce the body changes of puberty are produced by the _____.

A) hypothalamus
B) pituitary
C) gonads
D) adrenal glands

Question 61

The earliest VISIBLE sign that a boy is reaching puberty is:

A) an increase in the size of his hands and feet.
B) facial hair.
C) a tremendous increase in height.
D) voice change.

Question 62

Statistically speaking, which girl is NOT at risk of reaching puberty early?

A) Eng, who is overweight
B) Irene, who is African American
C) Ilya, who grew up with a single mother
D) Lucinda, who is underweight

Question 63

In a boy's puberty sequence, the growth spurt happens _____ for girls.

A) somewhat later than
B) at the same age as
C) earlier than
D) 3 years later than

Question 64

If Chinwe and Callista are both developing breasts, how long will the process take?

A) Both girls will finish their development in about 2 years.
B) Both girls will finish their development in about 4 years.
C) Both girls will finish their development in about 9 years.
D) The rate of development is apt to differ from girl to girl.

Question 65

That distressing teenage pubertal change-acne-is caused by which hormone(s)?

A) testosterone for boys and estrogen for girls
B) testosterone for both boys and girls
C) estrogen for both boys and girls
D) testosterone and estrogen for both sexes

Question 66

During puberty, which changes occur first for boys?

A) legs, feet, and hands grow
B) facial hair develops
C) chest becomes broader
D) hips widen

Question 67

In Kevin who is undergoing puberty, _____ is (are) a primary sexual characteristic.

A) penis development
B) acne
C) voice changes
D) facial hair

Question 68

In Jolene, who is undergoing puberty, _____ is NOT a secondary sexual characteristic.

A) menarche
B) pubic hair
C) breast development
D) skin texture

Question 69

Which is a primary sexual characteristic?

A) breast development
B) menstruation
C) body hair development
D) skin changes

Question 70

The FIRST physical sign that a girl is reaching puberty is _____.

A) the growth spurt
B) pubic hair development
C) breast development
D) menarche

Question 71

Lena has just begun puberty, and her aunt asks the doctor, "When is my niece likely to get her period"? What should Dr. Garcia say?

A) "It occurs in the middle to later stages of this process, when the other changes are well underway."
B) "It will happen very soon, around the time she begins to develop breasts and pubic hair."
C) "Menstruation will begin now, at the beginning of the growth spurt."
D) "Menstruation will occur after all the other changes have been completed."

Question 72

Carlos needs to shave and his voice has changed. Carlos is in _____ of puberty.

A) the early stages
B) the later stages
C) the middle stages
D) a nonspecific stage

Question 73

Deniz has just begun to menstruate. Statistically speaking, which is NOT a prediction that can be made about Deniz?

A) She is almost as tall as she will be as an adult.
B) Her breasts are well into their development, but have not reached their final size.
C) She is in the later stages of pubertal development.
D) She has just begun her growth spurt and hasn't yet developed breasts.

Question 74

Which is a secondary sexual characteristic?

A) pubic hair growth
B) lengthening of the penis
C) menstruation
D) spermarche

Question 75

The _____ starts to change FIRST when a boy reaches puberty.

A) penis
B) hair
C) voice
D) hips and chest

Question 76

Lydia is about to enter puberty. Statistically speaking, in which order will the changes occur?

A) growth spurt begins; breasts and pubic hair begin developing; menarche
B) menarche; growth spurt begins; breasts and pubic hair begin developing
C) breasts and pubic hair begin developing; growth spurt begins; menarche
D) menarche; breasts and pubic hair begin developing; growth spurt begins

Question 77

Xandra, age 10, has recently grown 5 inches in height. Xandra is undergoing:

A) development of her primary sexual characteristics.
B) size acceleration.
C) development of her secondary sexual characteristics.
D) the growth spurt.

Question 78

A girl is about to enter puberty. How long will the total process take?

A) about 5 years, for every child
B) about 2 years, for every child
C) about 9 years, for every child
D) a variable length of time for different girls

Question 79

Devora asks, "What is the first sign my son is entering puberty?" How should an expert answer?

A) The penis begins to grow.
B) The muscles begin to enlarge.
C) The voice begins to change.
D) Spermarche occurs.

Question 80

Which statement would an expert in male puberty make?

A) "In boys, facial hair is the first to develop."
B) "Boys who have severe acne have a lower-than-normal testosterone level."
C) "Even though boys appear to reach puberty 2 years after girls, on average spermarche occurs only about 6 months later than menarche."
D) "Male physical development during puberty follows the cephalocaudal sequence."