Teenage Brain Development
This part of the brain, responsible for decision-making and impulse control, is not fully developed until the mid-20s.
What is the prefrontal cortex?
Teens take more risks not because they underestimate dangers but because they value this more than adults do.
What is the reward?
This mental health condition, if experienced in adolescence, can make the brain less responsive to rewards later in life.
What is depression?
While both articles agree that adolescent brains undergo significant development, one emphasizes opportunity, while the other highlights vulnerability.
What are the National Geographic (Dobbs, Teenage brain, and NPR articles (teen brains are malleable)?
This word describes a young person transitioning from childhood to adulthood.
What is adolescent?
This process strengthens the most-used neural connections while eliminating weaker ones, making the brain more efficient.
What is synaptic pruning?
Studies show that teens take more risks when they are in the presence of these individuals.
Who are their peers?
This part of the brain, responsible for emotions, is more active in teens, making them more sensitive to stress and mood swings.
What is the amygdala?
Dobbs suggests that teenage risk-taking is an evolutionary advantage that helps teens explore the world, while BJ Casey, cited by Hamilton, argues that risk-taking occurs due to an imbalance between a strong reward system and an underdeveloped self-control system.
What is the debate on risk-taking behavior?
The period of development when a child grows into an adult is called this
What is adolescence?
The long nerve fibers that become insulated with myelin to improve brain processing speed are called this.
What are axons?
This ability to resist an impulse, like looking at a flashing light in a lab test, is still developing in teens.
What is response inhibition?
Doing activities like reading, puzzles, or learning new things can help strengthen thinking skills.
What is cognitive stimulation?
Both Dobbs and Hamilton discuss brain plasticity, but while Dobbs argues that adolescence is a time of natural selection shaping behavior, Hamilton focuses on how experience and environment physically alter brain structure.
What is the difference in how Dobbs and Hamilton view brain plasticity?
This brain tissue, found in the cortex, is responsible for processing information and decision-making.
What is gray matter?
This brain chemical, which increases during adolescence, is responsible for the heightened reward-seeking behavior in teens.
What is dopamine?
Unlike common belief, this researcher found that teens are not always impulsive; in high-reward situations, they can be more focused than adults.
Who is BJ Casey?
A supportive home and learning environment can help this outer layer of the brain develop properly.
What is the cortex?
The HuffPost article by Steven Reinberg focuses specifically on this issue, arguing that it has a greater long-term impact on teens than on children or adults due to ongoing brain maturation.
What are the effects of concussions on teens?
Acting on emotions or sudden urges without thinking through the consequences is called this.
What is impulsive behavior?
The part of the brain involved in memory and learning, which develops stronger connections with the frontal areas during adolescence, is called this.
What is the hippocampus?
The adolescent brain is more adaptable and flexible due to this process, which continues through the teenage years and into the 20s.
What is neuroplasticity?
Since their brains are still developing, teens take longer to recover from this common sports-related injury.
What is a concussion?
Hamilton highlights how early life experiences and mental health conditions like depression can permanently alter brain structure, while Dobbs argues that adolescence is a necessary stage for human adaptability and survival.
What is the contrast between Hamilton’s and Dobbs' perspectives on adolescent brain development?
The process of developing into a fully grown adult, both physically and mentally, is called this.
What is maturation?