The Difference Between Adult and Adolescent Brains
Lexi Neff
Caledonia- Mumford High School
Abstract
When one compares the structure of the adult brain and the teenage brain, there will be several differences between the two. Adults have stronger connections from one nerve cell to another, and they all have essential communication skills. However, teenagers have more synapses and have weaker nerve connections. Also, their frontal lobes aren 't fully developed. This causes adolescence to have impulsive behavior and they typically do not recognize consequences in a situation. In the early twenties the brain becomes fully developed, so people are very good at making decision and they are able to think abstractly. There are many factors that contribute to the construction of the brain; some things help the brain develop normally, other things interrupt the process. There is a substantial amount of distinctions between the adult brain and the adolescent brain, and these includes behavioral and structural differences.
Introduction
The teenage brain is still under construction and there are many things that distinguish it from the adult brain. There are physical factors that make the two in comparison so different. Also the behavior and the way teens and adults interact and think, makes their brains vary. In addition, there are some things that contribute either positively or negatively to the development to the teen brain, and it
Scientific studies show how the brain of a human does not fully develop until they reach the age of 25. A teenager is someone who is between the age thirteen to eighteen. The brain of a teenager is not fully developed and could be the reason why teens make poor choices. In fact studies show how the brain of an adult and a teen work differently. Adults have the strength to think of situation, have a good judgement, and think ahead for consequences.
Researchers can look at the brain of a teen to examine their behavioral decisions.Teenage brains these years are more active and dynamic which means it’s still developing.Processing in the Limbic system is a result of risky behavior.The construction of a teenage thinking brain is not cable of fully processing necessary to make responsible decisions.At this stage the brain is still developing.The brain changes depending on interactions, helpimg the teen make changes. At this time the brain will need focused and support for a healthy connection.Surrounding impacts the child faces such as challenging situations is an effective technique.Parents need to consider the teens emotional
First, most adolescents are not mature enough to make decisions that will change their lives forever. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius state, “Some older adolescents have the cognitive ability and capacity to reason similarly to an adult. However, neuroimaging studies
After viewing the Frontline program titled Inside the Teenage Brain I learned a significant discovery scientists have found about the teenager's brain. I also learned that just as there is a growth spurt in infants’ brain, there is a second-growth spurt during puberty. In addition, I also learned how teen's emotions are so different from adults' emotions. I was very surprised with everything I learned about the teen's brain, but my point of view about teen violence and juvenile delinquency hasn't changed.
When it comes to the teenage brain it’s obvious that they aren’t fully developed. According to Frances Jensen “a mother, author and neurologist” (83), a teenager is missing the frontal and prefrontal lobes of the brain in which adults possess. “The frontal lobes are the seat of what’s sometimes called the brains executive function and is responsible for planning, for self-awareness, and for judgement” (84). Being that a teenager lacks planning, self-awareness and judgement due to a missing brain function, they are subject to not thinking and being aware of circumstances in a difficult situation. For example, Kolbert states that her adolescent sons participate in a “fun pastime known as a ‘case race’” (83). A case race is when “participants form two
During adolescence the teenagers become more risky (take more risks), the frontal lobe (the brakes) are not fully developed so it can’t cope with the temporal lobe (accelerator) which can’t control itself, energetic, adventurous, independent, they will become more independent because of peer influence and just because it’s a sort of natural thing, more rebellious, again peer influenced, intellectual, the older you get the wiser you become, self-conscious, once again peers influence this e.g. fashion appearance, better at making decisions, as the frontal lobe (the brakes) is developing it become easier to make decisions on your own, and either social or unsocial, social= you have a strong relationship with your friends, unsocial= you have a strong internet connection with your friends.
List and describe the three most important structural changes in the brain during adolescence and how they change
At early adolescence TEENAGERS will start to think in different ways. They will understand harder concepts and solve COMPLEX problems easier. They will also be able to blend different information from different sources. This means that they will be able to solve problems in their head without actually seeing them.
Based upon scientific findings, the adolescent brain is constantly growing and changing. The character Romeo, in Shakespeare’s famous play, displays how his adolescent brain is growing and changing. For instance, in the play, it states,”She is too fair, too wise, wisely too fair, to merit bliss by making me more despair.” (1.1. 218-219) This quote reveals that Romeo is deeply in love with Rosaline but as his youthful brain changes he quickly falls in love with Juliet with little knowledge of her. Not to mention, in the article, Are teenage brains really different from adult brains, it conveys, “Teenagers experience a wealth of growth in synapses during adolescence” (Edmonds). This small excerpt informs us that the synapses that help us make reasonable decisions are at an increase. In the same source, another significant
Paul Thompson the author of “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains” claims that teenagers must be charged as juveniles, and not adults because their brains are not fully developed.In Thompson's article, he mainly uses logos and hardly any ethos.”These frontal lobes, which inhibit our violent passions, rash actions, and regulate our emotions, are vastly immature throughout the teenage years(7)”In this quotation, Thompson doesn’t mention who or where he found this information so therefore it makes it weak in ethos. It seems like the only time he does use ethos is when it's reported in the news already and he doesn't have anything to back it up.”In terms of cognitive development, as research on the human brain has shown...young teens are far from
The author of the article states that there is no better time than now to review how we are raising teenagers for many reasons. First and foremost there have been many strides taken recently to understand how the adolescent brain develops, strengthening ones understanding, and in turn, shedding light on errors made in the way adolescents are being raised in relation to their neuro-development. This means that because scientists have learned substantial information about the brain recently, it is important to reevaluate how parents are raising teenagers now more than ever. Second, according to the article it is a good time to review how we are raising teenagers because children are becoming adolescents earlier based on their physical maturation increasing faster each year, therefore it is important to examine why this is occurring. Finally, the author states that there is no better time to review how we are raising teenagers because of the recent discovery that the brain is malleable during adolescence due to neuroplasticity, meaning that the brain is able to be transformed during this time period solely based on the environment in which these individuals are exposed to, as per the article (Steinberg, 2014).
As a teen, the human brain is not yet fully developed. One’s cognitive ability falls short to the ability of an adult brain, which has had more time and is fully developed. In the article, “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains”, research given during a televised conference at the White House shows that teens impulsive and erratic behavior can be linked to the massive loss of brain tissue that occurs during the teen years. With teen brains not being fully developed, and the research explaining and linking their behavior to their brains, I believe
The article “Inside the Teenage Brain” by Marty Wolner states that recently, brain researchers have been able to do a great quantity of detailed studies on the human brain. Despite previous thoughts about the teenage brain, development of the brain through the teenage years is very dynamic. The teenage brain is still learning how to process certain information properly in the thinking part of the brain, so often teens may not process all the information necessary to make responsible decisions. Nevertheless, the teenage years can be very stressful for both parents and for teens. Getting through the teenage years can be difficult, but with the right amount of healthy communication, discipline and support the road ahead won’t be so rough. At this
From adolescence to late adulthood, our lives change drastically. Our goals, achievements and conceptions of life differentiate as we mature. As we grow older, we no longer concern ourselves with self-identity or the opinions of others, but instead we focus on our accomplishments and evaluate our life (if we lived a meaningful life). From adolescence to late adulthood, we experience different developmental tasks at a particular place in our life span.
The teenage brain is different from the adult brain version because it is not fully developed. The part of the brain used for emotions like rage and fright, the amygdala is much more developed than the frontal cortex (used for thinking through your thoughts). The way scientists found this out was pictures of Teen’s brains in action. (Teen Brain…). This would explain why teens tend to be more angry and impulsive compared to adults. Teens have a higher chance of impulsive acting, starting fights, do risky behaviors, etc. Knowledge of the teen’s frontal cortex’s lack of development can assist guardians, teachers, and lawmakers in unlocking the answers on management on how to manage adolescent behavior.