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Class: FHS-1500

Name: Josh Robinson


Assignment: Observation 4

Background information:
Childs age: 14
Fictitious name: Andy
Location: The interview was held at the Blue Lemon Restaurant in Sandy (this is where Andys
Stepfather works)
Brief Description: Andy is the step-son of a former co-worker of mine. He is in 8th grade. He
has 1 full-blooded(his words) sister, and one half-sister. As implied, Andys parents are
separated; and have been for as long as he can remember. He likes to skateboard, listen to music
(especially rap music), play video games, sleeping, and is excited to go snowboarding for the
first time this year.
Physical Development: Before even saying one thing to Andy, I knew without even asking that
he was most likely experiencing early-maturation. The sign that led me to this conclusion was his
facial hair- He had a better mustache than me! When we were introduced I also noticed right
away that his voice was deeper. According to the text adolescent boys that are going through the
process of maturity, the usual sequence is growth of the testes, initial pubic hair growth, growth
of the penis, first ejaculation of seminal fluid, appearance of facial hair, peak growth spurt,
deepening of the voice, and final pubic hair growth (Berger, 2014, p 320).
One observation that I noticed, and was confirmed by Andy, is that he seems to be shorter
for his age. He confirmed that he is one of the shorter students in his grade. This could be due to
genetics and ethnicity. According to the text, About two-thirds of the variation in age of puberty
is genetic, evident not only in families but also in ethnic groups. (Berger, 2014, p 322) Andy
comes from a Hispanic background. Both of his parents are from Hispanic descent. According to
Andy, his dad is also short. In addition to being short, he was also very thin. This is most likely
due to his love for skateboarding and genetics, especially since his favorite food is the carne
asada burrito from Betos ( if you are not familiar with Betos, Betos is a local fast-food Mexican
restaurant- The carne asada burrito weighs almost 2 lbs.)
As I mentioned in the brief description, one of Andys favorite things to do is sleep.
While this category could also apply to cognitive development and social/emotional
development, physically Andy mentioned he stays up late and plays videogames, because he is
not tired. According to the text this applies to physical development because, Hormones of the

HPA axis at puberty cause a phase delay in sleep-wake cycles, making many teens wide awake
and hungry at midnight but half asleep with little appetite or energy all morning. (Berger, 2014,
p 322). Andy mentioned that he loves sleeping in and often takes naps afterschool and sometimes
during class. I would say Andy fits the norm for other adolescents his age that are part of the
same circadian rhythm.
Cognitive Development: When I asked Andy, Have you ever done anything that could be
considered as risky? His response was, Many things! I was a little surprised that he answered
the question so honestly- almost as if he was proud of the things that he had done. According to
the text and in line with what we discussed in class, neurological research finds the reward parts
of adolescents brains (the parts that respond to excitement and pleasure) are far stronger than the
inhibition parts (the parts that urge caution). (Berger, 2014, p 332)
An obvious follow up would be to find out if the parents are aware of those risky actions.
Andy confessed to not always being completely honest with his mom when he did something
dangerous. This is right in-line with the text, Adults do not realize the risks that their children
take, not only because teenagers do not confide in their parents, but also because they themselves
are sometimes illogical. (Berger, 2014, p 332)
So, I see that little reaction was given by Andys parents due to his risk taking behavior,
whether due to Andy being dishonest or because his parents dont see the truth. Just like we
talked about in class, adolescents think intensely about what others think of them. Despite not
always being completely honest with his parents, I was actually quite surprised how honest he
was with me. One of those things he confided in me was that because he is smaller than all of
his friends he feels that to get respect he needs to do some of those dangerous things that could
cause risk. This kind of thought process can be connected to Andys Invincibility fable, which is,
the idea that, unless fate wills it, they will not be hurt by fast driving, unprotected sex, or
addictive drugs. (Berger, 2014, p 333)
Social/Emotional Development:

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