The Development Of The Teenage Brain

Since neuroscience has formulated many hypothesis about the human brain development through constant research efforts and continue work on past predecessors theories in the effort to expound upon these theories on how the brain grows at critical ages in our lives that affects our cognitive capabilities to think, memory, mood, and our reactions to multiple situations in our life developmental stages during adolescence. In the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Frontline six video series “Inside the Teenage Brain” covers how the teenage brain goes through extensive changes during puberty and how two critical waves of development are different between the initial growth spurts and pruning phases during the what is called “In utero” that is most

In reference to the brain, the gray matter (thinking) continues grow with the synapse and pruning processes during infancy brain cells growth like a tree as well. However, the main difference is the development of the prefrontal cortex of the brain. This part of the brain develops and starts growth development with production of synapses connections enables the teenager to control the brain by formalizing judgment, organization, planning, memory, strategizing, and modulating mood during the thickening brain gray matter. This internal development occurs during the average age of 11 or 12 timeline when puberty hits. A natural biological clock for boys and girls what termed as the “building-up stage”, but this puberty is not always on time it can occur before or later in life according Dr. Giedd and other colleagues. This period of development stated by John Bruer the author of “The Myth of the First Three Years” heeds a cautious about the adolescents frontal lobes as well not being fully developed with continuous brain structure that are changing is well-defined as the sensitive periods for adolescence. This period enhances heightened opportunities

Some the stereo- types placed upon teenagers with the misconception of the feeling of being invulnerable. According to Laurence Steinberg research about teenage brain processing with risk taking had no more risk initiative than adults. However, Steinberg placed emphasis on teenagers cognitive ability to rationalize the use of words and phrases used to described risk such as “probability”, “likely”, or “very low chance” truly understand what the consequences are by manipulating the use of words and truly understanding the content at risk with their actions. Steinberg noted that several other researchers placed the emotional and contextual influences on risk taking by teenagers with the developmental phase of logical reasoning that are heavily influenced by peer pressure, impulsivity, orientation of the now rather than to the future or reward seeking. This reward seeking or sensation seeking is in the pursuit of experience that are novel or exiting to the teenagers “Thrill Seeker” that emotional arousal can either positively or negatively that are influenced usually by their peers that is most common with some form of delinquency, drinking, or e involved in reckless behavior faced with the decision to be part of the in group or not that affects their social identity and acceptance. Overall, teenagers have the cognitive