Video Summary And Video Analysis: Inside The Teenage Brain

Paul Thompson in the article, Startling Finds Teenage Brains, explains that a teen named Nathaniel Brazill was ruled by a Florida grand jury, who had previously ruled Brazill, was going to be tried as an adult. Thompson supports his explanation by first analyzing the problem and if Brazill had been tried before. He then investigates the situation and why teens decide to commit crimes. Lastly, the author explains how there was a university that researched why teens act the way they do. They were surprised at what they found out. They found out that massive loss of brain tissue occurs in the teen years. Thompson’s purpose is to show why teens commit crimes and act the way they act in order so that their parents take care of their teens and so

The court said that because of their youth, their brains are less developed, they are more impulsive, more subject to peer pressure and less able to see the consequences of their actions. Researchers have started to look into the development of the brain from the ages of 3 to 20 years old. Brain research by Thompson and others suggests that teenagers are unformed, less mature and less resistant to peer pressure than adults are. According to Thompson’s research, “gray matter, which brain researchers believe supports all our thinking and emotions, is purged at a rate of 1 percent to 2 percent a year” (89). He also states that, “these frontal lobes, which inhibit our violent passions, rash actions, and regulate our emotions, are vastly immature throughout the teenage years” (89). Teens do know what they have done and they are capable of understanding right from wrong but their brains aren’t developed enough to make fully mature decisions.

The article “Dude, Where’s My Frontal Cortex?” by Robert Sapolsky talks about the delayed maturation of the frontal cortex in teenagers and how the underdeveloped frontal cortex is the cause of erratic behavior of teenagers. Sapolsky explains to the reader how the frontal cortex does not fully develop until the age of twenty for a person and how that part of the brain is important for extensive reasoning, impulse control, and emotional regulation. He shows the reader how particularly emotional situations affect both a teenager and an adult differently due to either having or not having a matured frontal cortex. This example that he uses allows for the reader to see how a teenager responds to situations with extreme thoughts and behavior which

Mascarelli, Amanda Leigh. " The Teenage Brain." Student Science. Society for Students & the Public, 17 Oct. 2012. Web.

For a long time, teenagers have been known for being foolish and not thinking through their actions. People once thought it was simply because of their personalities, but new research has proved that it’s actually because their brains aren’t fully developed. There are advantages and disadvantages to the teenage brain. A few disadvantages to the teenage brain is that the prefrontal cortex isn’t fully developed yet and they are wired to be independent. Some advantages to the teenage brain is: the brain is easy to reshape or mold into learning new things and they are more open to new, different things. Romeo and Juliet are partially responsible for their actions. Without the help of Friar Lawrence and the Nurse, they wouldn’t have been able to

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.

The article “Inside the Teen Brain’ by Marty Wolner, states that the human brain provides parents with shocking new evidence to possibly explain the sometimes irrational, illogical, and impulsive behavior of teenagers. Teenage years are radically more active and dynamic than they previously thought. So teenagers are left with most of the information reaching their brains being processed in the emotional part (limbic system). Information processed in the limbic system without benefit increases the processing in the prefrontal cortex. It may result in impulsive, egocentric, and maybe even risky behavior choices. The prefrontal cortex of the teenage brain does not excuse inappropriate or irresponsible behavior from the teen. The brain is not yet

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

Recent research has shown that the human brain continues to develop throughout childhood and adolescence, and may not be fully mature until the mid-20s. The prefrontal cortex of the brain, which regulates “executive” functioning skills, such as decision-making, planning, judgment, expression of emotions, and impulse control, is one of the last to

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 evidence shows that this specified area of the brain is under developed in teenagers, and that their impulses are not always thought out. Teen brains are underdeveloped when it comes to the decision making process is important information and should be taken into consideration when a juvenile is charged with any offense. In addition, with new found evidence of brain development being released doctors and psychologists seem to be in agreement that the findings should be taken seriously. For example, an article posted in the “Observer” in 2013 by Andrew Meriuzzi, Dr Helen Neville an internationally renowned psychologist and neuroscientist implies “Our biggest job will be to convince the public and policymakers to demand evidence and to evaluate evidence.” (Merluzzi 2013) Statements from credible sources may open the eyes to the public, that teenagers need to be evaluated thoroughly before being condemned to cells like rats. It is important to have the physiologists and scientists input so they the world can move forward with proper treatment of our youth. In relations, professionals and specialists are fully aware of a child's state of mind and are trying to alert the public to approach youth thoughtfully. Another strong quote from Dr. Neville comes in her cries for action “For the sake of the economy and the sake of the children, let’s take this evidence-based approach to reducing inequality,”. (Merluzzi 2013)Helen's plead sheds light that a teenager is

The program “Inside the Teenage Brain” on Frontline PBS contained some very interesting points. In the beginning I felt like the videos did not relate to me very well because most of the teens they were dealing with seemed to be disobedient children. However; as I continued watching and I found that many of the topics in the program did apply to me. One of the parents being interviewed stated, “I find that the quickest way to get shut out is to ask questions about things that you aren’t welcome to know…” I thought this was a very factual statement because I have seen this exact thing happen with several of my friends. I have noticed parents attempting to uphold a conversation but the child automatically gets angry and finds themself frustrated

In Paul Thompson’s, “Startling Finds on Teens’ Brains” he writes, “The biggest surprise in recent teen-brain research is the finding a mass loss of brain tissue occurs in the teen years.” Later in the article Thompson explains the parts of the brain affected by this tissue loss, “frontal lobes, which inhibit our violent passions, rash decisions, and regulate our emotion.” These are vital parts of the brain for decision making and how we thoroughly process thought. Also, throughout a child’s life different parts of the brain are developing and changing at different moments in time. As children develop how are we supposed to keep track of something that is changing rapidly and not even fully understand the developed adult brain. Even though a juvenile might have an idea of the heinous crime they commit this does not mean they had fully thought through the consequences nor the full extent of the bad they have

The video on Brain Science was extremely interesting to me, especially because I have always thought of myself as “not a math person”. I think one of the most important concepts from the video is that our brains change depending on how we are using them. We lose synaptic connections if we are not using that part of the brain as much, and on the contrary, we can make new connections if we are often using another part of the brain. This was shown by an example of cab drivers in London. In London, cab drivers have to go through such extensive training (learning hundreds of routes, street names, etc.) and must pass a test before they can operate as a certain cab driver. Because of this, their hippocampus grows to accommodate all of the use that

Dr. Jensen discussed development and how the brain, the most complex organ in the body, is the last to mature and for most species (including humans) it connects from the back to front. Therefore, the prefrontal cortex is the last thing that “connects” and even then, the cells must become insulated to more quickly carry information. There are miles of connections in the brain and without this insulation, teenagers cannot make decisions as quickly as adults. As Dr. Jensen stated, teenagers physically look like adults, and are therefore expected to act like adults. However, their brain is not fully developed,