Running head: PEPSI SCREENING 1

Pepsi Screening

Airam Uriarte

College of Southern Nevada

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Biography

The student subject is a male and is currently twelve years old. He was born in Las Vegas,

Nevada on November 17, 2008. He is a child of Hispanic parents and he is very proud of his

cultural background. The subject is the youngest of seven siblings. He has attended Roy Martin

Elementary School, Jim Bridger Middle School, and is now a sixth grader at Bailey middle

school. He lived in Amargosa Valley, Nevada for five months after birth and then settled in Las

Vegas. He loves to play outside with his German shepherd, named Buddy. He enjoys watching

the “Cobra kai” and “All American” series on Netflix. He aspires to one day become a

professional soccer player.

Physical

The subject’s height is 5 feet exact and weighs 100 pounds. The subject appearance has

“some parts of the body, particularly the hands and feet, grow faster than others” (Snowman,

2015, Ch. 3-4a). His physical activity average is twenty to thirty minutes a day. It includes

outdoor activities such as biking, playing with dog and jumping on the trampoline. According to

John Hopkins Medicine “Children and adolescents need at least 60 minutes of moderate to

vigorous physical activity on most days for maintenance of good health and fitness and for

healthy weight during growth” (“Healthy eating”, n.d.). The subject would need to try to meet

the minimum for a complete exercise routine. The subject spends a lot of time inside laying in

his bed watching videos. The subject eats on average two and a half meals per day where

schedule of consumption may vary. The subject does not nap unless it is necessary. On average

the subject sleeps eight hours a day. The subject equals in the amount he sits still to the amount

of movement during the day. The adolescents voice falls within the mid-range with rare puberty
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cracks. The subject has also developed pubescent hair. Physical changes in the male subject

includes “gains in height and weight; growth of pubic and underarm hair; increased perspiration -

body odor develops; increased oil production of hair and skin……; growth of testicles and penis,

……, deepening of voice, growth of hair on face in boys” (Spano, 2004). These changes are

evident in the subject and fall within the typical physical development in early adolescence.

Emotional

The subject has very normal shifts of emotion. He is very slow to anger. He becomes

discouraged when he is not helped by teachers with academic material. The subject is aware of

his own feelings, but he is great at stabilizing himself back to a neutral state. He often finds a

way to keep motivated even when feeling low confidence. The student finds it frustrating when

parents do not listen to his point of view. That makes him feel unheard. The subject believes his

thoughts are much more sophisticated than those of his parents. He claims that is the reason for

his parents not understanding his point of view. As is states in the Snowman text that adolescent

egocentrism falls in the assumption “that adults do not, indeed cannot, understand the thoughts

and feelings of early adolescence” (Snowman, 2015). The subject is at stage in his life where he

analyses other people’s actions to suit his assumptions. Spano (2006) states that in early

adolescence there is “less attention shown to parents, with occasional rudeness; realization that

parents are not perfect” (pg. 1). As stated in the article by Spano, it is typical for an adolescent to

observe their parent’s actions critically because it is a stage where egocentrism is developed. The

student uses this to his advantage to mimic his parent’s bad behavior. He may also criticize his

parent’s bad behavior to excuse his own misbehavior and claim equality in authority.

The pre-teen is often aware of other people’s feelings. When he sees people angry or sad,

he lets the person cool off. The student may respond with yelling if yelling is involved during
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arguments. Or if someone is goofy, he reflects what the other person is projecting. The subject

does not respond to ridicule unless it becomes repetitive which then leads to frustration. The

subject does not understand the concept of academic failure unless parents make him aware of

academic failures. The student is also not open to speak about academic struggles unless he has

someone that walks him through. Sometimes the student gives an “I don’t care” attitude towards

school that might mean “I'm tired, I'm playing a role, or I can't do the work” (Walsh, 2006).

These are factors that may explain the students’ disengagement in school.

Philosophical development

The subjects view of the world focuses largely on terrifying occurrences and on flawed

human beings. A video suggests that “Formal operations give adolescents the ability to entertain

the possibility of perfect people, places and things that are not to be found in the real world”

(Davidson F., 1999, 00:12:04). The subject similarly entertains the desire for a better world

where there is no school or where he can pursue whatever craft he would like without the issue

of not making a living. He see’s potential for solution but is not involved or interested in

becoming an outspoken leader for change.

J’Anne Ellsworth states that in adolescence “Simple expectations, worked out with the

student and adhered to consistently give the most safety and provide ritual as a safety net”

(1999). This is evident in the subject as he prefers not to take many risks. The adolescent also

tends to respond, so as to avoid embarrassment (Davidson F., 1999, 00:18:14). In school the

subject does not ask his teacher questions to avoid embarrassment. This is due to peers watching

him. The subject does not like to be put on display in front of peers. He also feels safe not asking

his teacher for help in school because he is afraid that he will leave more confused or that the

teacher is going to get mad at him. According to a journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
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“…persistent, high levels of both reactive and pro-active aggression across time showed high

levels of sensation seeking and risk taking….” (Cui, 2016). The subject mostly keeps away from

aggression and risk taking. The subject avoids risks by being quick to argue and question

whether something is just or fair, right or wrong, beneficial or detrimental. The subject likes

looking at the bigger picture and wants to be safe before deciding.

The subjects’ beliefs are largely shaped by his Christian upbringing. His Christian values

guide him to note right from wrong. His perception of reality is what is experienced. The subject

shows the minimum “capacity for abstract thought” (Spano, 2006). He is not at a level where he

can grasp spiritual and metaphysical perspectives, considering his religious upbringing. The

subject understands abstract nouns such as joy, love, compassion, bravery, honor, hope, humility

etc.

Social

The child is mostly extrovert socially. The student interacts more with peers or people

within his age group. The adolescent often speaks to people without thinking and may not realize

what is appropriate to say in certain situations. Snowman text (2015) states that during the stage

of Identity Versus Role Confusion “The goal at this stage is development of the roles and skills

that will prepare adolescents to take a meaningful place in adult society. The danger at this stage

is role confusion: having no clear conception of appropriate types of behavior that others will

react to favorably” (2-1b). The subject falls within this description of the developmental stage,

where he may feel deeply inclined to his opinions and not realize that some of what he expresses

is not appealing to others. A research journal by Chapman provides a solution to improve

student’s social development. The research provides evidence how social programs such as youth

camps and wilderness experiences can set a student to “engage in challenge-based and team-
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building activities with the objective of developing key skills, such as goal-setting,

communication, problem-solving, and leadership” (Chapman C. M., 2017, pg. 3 of 13). The

student could benefit from this kind of program or similar, to become more understanding of

other students and learn to solve problems among them.

The child lives mostly in the present and rarely speaks about his future. The subject likes

to speak to his peers about games, sports, and memes. Data gathered from a hundred middle

schoolers were asked what best thing is about being male and female and gathered views on

“Male advantages focused on physical and athletic prowess, underscoring the central role

physicality plays for boys” (Sadker and Zittleman, 2018, pg. 93). The subject views his physical

and athletic abilities as something to brag towards his peers. He may become competitive with

friends or relatives.

The student often retracts himself from academic work. The subject voices his academic

learning to be “hard” and might say things such as “I don’t understand the material”. This

directly relates to the text stating that, “Middle school students combine the epistemological

beliefs of quick learning (“If I cannot understand something quickly, it usually means I will

never understand it”)” (Snowman, 2015, 9-4a). He does not bother to ask his teacher for help and

makes excuses to not reach out to his teacher for help. He says things such as “my teacher does

not get back to me on time” or “the teacher does not make the material any more

understandable”. The subject currently views school learning as unimportant or as not worth it.

Intelligence

The subject has the analytical capacity to solve basic math problems, he understands

important and general vocabulary and his language skills are average. He shows understanding

of the “ifs and then” or the “cause and effect”. The subject likes to set imaginative scenarios
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where multiple possibilities can occur. For example, he may make up conspiracy theories about

his favorite marvel character and gives the character an alternative past or future. The subject

shows interest and finds the political world to be important. He may get involved in

conversations that mention race, socioeconomic status, gender, sexuality, and people rights. The

subject enjoys conversations about political issues that include sarcasm or humor (Caskey &

Anafara, 2021).

The subject often voices his own opinion. He does not always take other people’s

information as valid unless there is proof. For example, if someone claims that the Covid vaccine

is a death shot, he will be skeptical. If the subject does not agree with you, even if you are a

friend or a close one, he will call it out for what he deems true. A film by Frances Davidson

quotes “Being able to conceive multiple possibilities and to argue from many propositions

sometimes makes adolescents seem argumentative” (1999,00:10:58). This is the case for the

subject when he genuinely tries to make a point about his perspective on things or tries to explain

something new to older people.

The subject is “mostly interested in present and near future” (Spano, 2006). The subject

will occasionally mention the future of the world and his generation sarcastically, but without

much critical thought. The student might sometimes mention things such as “when I have a

house” or “when I have kids” scenarios. The subject thinks day to day and his focus is largely

based in the present.

The subject is “more interested in real life experiences and authentic learning

opportunities; [and] less interested in traditional academic subjects” (Caskey & Anafara, 2021).

The subject knows a good amount of information he finds on the internet. He likes learning

random facts that focus on personal interests. He enjoys watching videos about the world, art,
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science, comedy etc. The subject invests a lot of time watching YouTube videos where he has

reduced time to invest in increasing the level of his academic skills. The students’ reading

pronunciation and spelling has not improved.

PEPSI CHART

Recommendations for parents and teacher

The physical aspect of the student ranges in the typical description of a twelve-year-old

adolescent. I would recommend the parents of the student to help the student watch how he eats.

His eating habits are not consistent to a healthy nutritional diet. The student needs to become

more mindful about what he eats to improve his overall health. The child is also very short on

physical exercise. I recommend you limit his free time on the internet and replace it with

physical activity. To accomplish this, parents can encourage the child to have playmates over or
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get him to spend time walking his dog or be told to do chores in his home from time to time to

improve his time of physical exercise. As the student is developing his emotional skills, he may

struggle in the future if his communicative imprudence is not addressed. The student may need to

be made aware of what he says in public and people. He may benefit from advice on what is

appropriate and not appropriate to say in certain scenarios. This will save his social and

emotional interaction with other people. It is evident that the student is at a stage where he likes

to express opinions to manipulate his situations. The student needs to be made aware that even

when he expresses negativity towards school, he still has a responsibility to reach out for help.

The teachers may need to call his parents or have a personal conversation with the student to

make him feel safe to ask for academic help. The student would benefit from a STEM program

or a school setting that nurtures his critical thinking skills. His metacognitive level shows to be

higher than usual because typically “pre-teenagers think but they don’t think about thinking”

(Davidson F., 1999, 00:14:46). The subject excels in his metacognitive abilities. The subject

could benefit from tutoring or at least an academic mentor. The student is falling behind in his

grades and academic development. I would recommend parents to go through grades together

with the child and seek honesty from the student to express what he must do to improve in

school. The student should benefit from online sources that can help him improve academically.

As school is becoming more virtually inclined there are multiple systems that the student can

choose from to grow academically. The student can improve in communicating more effectively,

developing his reading, math, and science skills through online educational systems. The parents

should research school online resources that can peek the student’s interest in education, such as

educational material made fun. The parents can guide and encourage the student into online

educational material through positive reinforcement.

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References

Caskey, M. Anafara, A. G. (2021, January 22). Developmental characteristics of young

adolescents. AMLE. https://www.amle.org/research/developmental-characteristics-of-

young-adolescents/

Chapman, C. M., Deane, K. L., Harré, N., Courtney, M. G., R., & Moore, J. (2017). Engagement

and mentor support as drivers of social development in the project K youth development

program. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 46(3), 644-655.

doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.library.csn.edu/10.1007/s10964-017-0640-5

Cui, L., Colasante, T., Malti, T., Ribeaud, D., & Eisner, M. P. (2016). Dual trajectories of reactive

and proactive aggression from mid-childhood to early adolescence: Relations

to sensation seeking, risk taking, and moral reasoning. Journal of Abnormal Child

Psychology, 44(4), 663-675. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.library.csn.edu/10.1007/

s10802-015-0079-7

Davidson F. (Producer), & Davidson, J. (Director). (1999). Adolescent cognition.

[Video/DVD] Davidson Films. Retrieved from https://video.alexanderstreet.com/watch/

adolescent-cognition

Ellsworth, J., (1999). Early adolescence: being aware of being “real”. Northern Arizona

University. Early (nau.edu).

Healthy eating during adolescence. (n.d.). Retrieved March 07, 2021, from

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/healthy-eating-during-

adolescence#:~:text=1%20Eat%203%20meals%20a%20day,%20with%20healthy,

or%20vegetables%20for%20a%20snack.%20More%20items...

Kathleen O. Ryan (Producer), & Poglitsch, M. (Director). (2008). Social and emotional
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development. [Video/DVD] Learning Seed. Retrieved from https://video.

alexanderstreet.com/watch/social-and-emotional-development

Sadker, D.M., Zittleman, K.R. (2018). Teachers, schools, and society. (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill

Publishing Company.

Snowman, J. (2015). Psychology applied to teaching. Stamford, CT : Cengage Learning

Spano, S. (2004, May). Research facts and findings. ACT for Youth Upstate Center of

Excellence. Retrieved from fACT Sheet/05/04 (psu.edu)

Walsh, F. (2006). A MIDDLE SCHOOL DILEMMA: DEALING WITH "I DON'T

CARE". American Secondary Education, 35(1), 5-15. Retrieved from http://

ezproxy.library.csn.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.library.

csn.edu/scholarly-journals/middle-school-dilemma-dealing-with-i-dont-

care/docview/195184274/se-2?accountid=27953