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Understanding Puberty and Its Measurement: Ideas for Research in a New Generation
Author(s) -
Mendle Jane,
Beltz Adriene M.,
Carter Rona,
Dorn Lorah D.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of research on adolescence
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.342
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1532-7795
pISSN - 1050-8392
DOI - 10.1111/jora.12371
Subject(s) - operationalization , psychology , psychosocial , context (archaeology) , adolescent development , developmental psychology , diversity (politics) , task (project management) , applied psychology , sociology , epistemology , paleontology , philosophy , management , psychiatry , anthropology , economics , biology
The measurement of puberty is an intricate and precise task, requiring a match between participants’ developmental age and appropriate techniques to identify and capture variations in maturation. Much of the foundational work on puberty and its psychosocial correlates was conducted several decades ago. In this article, we review the biological foundation of puberty; the operationalization of puberty in statistical analyses; and strategies for considering diversity and social context in research to help researchers align measurement with meaningful conceptual questions. These three areas are particularly important, given new statistical techniques, greater awareness of individual variations in development, and key differences between past cohorts and youth coming of age today.