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Puberty is the process of physical changes through which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of sexual reproduction.It is initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads: the ovaries in a female, the testicles in a male.
Physical growth—height and weight—accelerates in the first half of puberty and is completed when an adult body has been developed. Until the maturation of their reproductive capabilities, the pre-pubertal physical differences between boys and girls are the external sex organs.
For example, girls tend to reduce their physical activity in preadolescence [45] [46] and may receive inadequate nutrition from diets that often lack important nutrients, such as iron. [47] These environmental influences, in turn, affect female physical development.
Due to natural variation, individuals pass through the Tanner stages at different rates, depending in particular on the timing of puberty.Among researchers who study puberty, the Tanner scale is commonly considered the "gold standard" for assessing pubertal status when it is conducted by a trained medical examiner. [5]
Also called "development in context" or "human ecology" theory, ecological systems theory was originally formulated by Urie Bronfenbrenner.It specifies four types of nested environmental systems, with bi-directional influences within and between the systems; they are the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem.
The effects of advertising on body image have been studied by researchers, ranging from psychologists to marketing professionals. [1] [2] [3] While many factors, such as "parenting, education, [and] intimate relationships" also affect body image, "the media and body image are closely related."
For example, a male may develop breasts and other feminine characteristics, while a female may develop a deepened voice and facial hair. This is called heterosexual or contrasexual precocity. It is very rare in comparison to isosexual precocity and is usually the result of unusual circumstances.
This type of stress causes minor physiological and hormonal changes to the young child; these changes include an increase in heart rate and a change in hormone cortisol levels. [4] The first day of school, a family wedding or making new friends are all examples of positive stressors. [4]