Which contributor is the most likely reason for adolescent impulsivity and risky behavior?
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Under a Creative Commons license Open access Highlights• Changes in the structure and function of the adolescent brain are placed in developmental context. Theories are challenged that posit adolescent imbalance between cognitive control versus sensation-seeking drives. •Distinction is made between three forms of risky decision making, only one of which characterizes imbalance and only may apply to a subset of youth. •An alternative Life-Span Wisdom Model highlights the adaptive characteristics of adolescent exploration and brain development. AbstractRecent neuroscience models of adolescent brain development attribute the morbidity and mortality of this period to structural and functional imbalances between more fully developed limbic regions that subserve reward and emotion as opposed to those that enable cognitive control. We challenge this interpretation of adolescent development by distinguishing risk-taking that peaks during adolescence (sensation seeking and impulsive action) from risk taking that declines monotonically from childhood to adulthood (impulsive choice and other decisions under known risk). Sensation seeking is primarily motivated by exploration of the environment under ambiguous risk contexts, while impulsive action, which is likely to be maladaptive, is more characteristic of a subset of youth with weak control over limbic motivation. Risk taking that declines monotonically from childhood to adulthood occurs primarily under conditions of known risks and reflects increases in executive function as well as aversion to risk based on increases in gist-based reasoning. We propose an alternative Life-span Wisdom Model that highlights the importance of experience gained through exploration during adolescence. We propose, therefore, that brain models that recognize the adaptive roles that cognition and experience play during adolescence provide a more complete and helpful picture of this period of development. KeywordsBrain development Dopamine Decision-making Cognitive control Experience Cited by (0)© 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. No. 95; September 2017 Many parents do not understand why their teenagers occasionally behave in an impulsive, irrational, or dangerous way. At times, it seems like teens don't think things through or fully consider the consequences of their actions. Adolescents differ from adults in the way they behave, solve problems, and make decisions. There is a biological explanation for this difference. Studies have shown that brains continue to mature and develop throughout childhood and adolescence and well into early adulthood. Scientists have identified a specific region of the brain called the amygdala that is responsible for immediate reactions including fear and aggressive behavior. This region develops early. However, the frontal cortex, the area of the brain that controls reasoning and helps us think before we act, develops later. This part of the brain is still changing and maturing well into adulthood. Other changes in the brain during adolescence include a rapid increase in the connections between the brain cells and making the brain pathways more effective. Nerve cells develop myelin, an insulating layer that helps cells communicate. All these changes are essential for the development of coordinated thought, action, and behavior. Changing Brains Mean that Adolescents Act Differently From Adults Pictures of the brain in action show that adolescents' brains work differently than adults when they make decisions or solve problems. Their actions are guided more by the emotional and reactive amygdala and less by the thoughtful, logical frontal cortex. Research has also shown that exposure to drugs and alcohol during the teen years can change or delay these developments. Based on the stage of their brain development, adolescents are more likely to:
Adolescents are less likely to:
These brain differences don't mean that young people can't make good decisions or tell the difference between right and wrong. It also doesn't mean that they shouldn't be held responsible for their actions. However, an awareness of these differences can help parents, teachers, advocates, and policy makers understand, anticipate, and manage the behavior of adolescents. What change in adolescence is responsible for this attraction to risky behavior?Risk-taking increases between childhood and adolescence as a result of changes around the time of puberty in the brain's socio-emotional system leading to increased reward-seeking, especially in the presence of peers, fueled mainly by a dramatic remodeling of the brain's dopaminergic system.
What did Piaget call the reasoning that characterizes adolescence?Answer and Explanation: The reasoning that characterizes adolescence is deductive reasoning. When an adolescent is in the formal operational stage, they are able to make logical connections and engage in abstract thought and conversation.
Which area of the brain undergoes considerable development during the adolescent years?Two of the brain regions that have consistently been shown to undergo continued development during adolescence are the prefrontal cortex and the parietal cortex.
What substance insulates brain circuits and greatly increases the speed of mental processing?Myelin is the fatty sheath around the long projections, or axons, that neurons use to communicate with other neurons. The fatty myelin insulates the axonal “wire” so that the signal that travels down it can travel up to 100 times faster than it can on unmyelinated axons (Giedd, 2015).
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