As I was writing this text, not only did I reflect on my own adolescence, but I also thought about my own child who is now an adolescent. I gained insight into my own current behavior by thinking about my adolescent development and the adult that I have developed into as a result of the experiences that I underwent during the adolescent life phase. As I watch my own child navigate her way through adolescence, it has been interesting to think about how some processes are similar across generations, while others are vastly different. While we both experienced many of the same biological changes, my daughter’s social experiences are very different than mine. While I communicated with my peers over a game of Donkey Kong in front of a tube television, she is using FaceTime to interact with her far-away friends while also playing an online avatar game.
Another similarity that I have recognized, despite generational differences, is the tendency for adolescents to express themselves though artwork during this phase of life. You may have noticed the drawings on the cover of this text and at the beginning of each chapter. These drawings come from my adolescent daughter and are a reflection of her own thoughts. Adolescence is a time when we begin to engage in abstract thinking and metacognition (thinking about how we think; more about these concepts in Chapter 2). The result of this increase in cognition can be that we begin to express our thoughts in new ways. Thus, both my daughter and I have gone through phases where we express our thoughts and feelings through drawings.
I hope that you enjoy this text and appreciate the activities that have been added. The activities include videos, quizzes, and reflection questions, which will help you to assess whether you have understood the material. Many of the videos have been selected because they are excellent examples of the concepts which are discussed in the chapter. It will certainly be to your benefit to watch these videos and reflect on how they relate to the material by answering the questions after each video.
Julie Campbell is an Associate Professor in the developmental and quantitative areas of the psychology department at Illinois State University. She received her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina Greensboro under the supervision of George Michel in 2015 and completed a pre-doctoral fellowship at the Center for Developmental Science at UNC-Chapel Hill in 2014. She teaches courses in infant, child, and adolescent development, as well as experimental research methods. Dr. Campbell is the director of the REACH lab at Illinois State University. Her program of research addresses developmental factors in hemispheric specialization, lateralization, handedness, and motor development. Current projects examine the development of infant neuromotor abilities from four weeks to one year of age, to observe whether early motor movements can predict lateralized behaviors.
Dr. Campbell is also working on projects which address interactions between parents and their children. Using technology to provide information to parents about child and adolescent development, this research addresses questions about parenting style and adolescent behavior, and whether improvements in communication can be achieved following exposure to new information about human cognition and development via lessons provided on device apps.
An active member of the research community, Dr. Campbell serves as a board member for the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology, advisory board member for Aspira Continuing Education, and is the faculty mentor for the Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology at Illinois State University. She is involved in teaching throughout her community, including giving workshops to local civic groups on public speaking and child development. Dr. Campbell is passionate about inspiring students and colleagues to conduct research on developmental processes and enjoys being involved in the work required to achieve this goal.