Neuroscience is uncovering new mysteries about the adolescent brain.
Researchers are learning more about the biological explanations for why adolescents are impulsive and risk-taking. Increasing knowledge of the brain is, of course, a good thing, but we need to be careful not to assume that neurological structure alone explains why adolescents act like adolescents.
Some of the most interesting research on the adolescent brain involves an area called the prefrontal cortex. Surprisingly, this area has more connections between neurons than the adult brain, but these connections are not as well established. There are also lower amounts of covering on the neurons—called white matter or myelin—resulting in slower transmission speed of signals traveling from one neuron to the next.
How does this all relate to adolescent behavior? The prefrontal cortex is largely responsible for inhibition of actions based on impulse, desire and emotion. The adolescent prefrontal cortex is less effective at inhibiting these types of urges because it has not undergone as much “pruning” of excessive neuronal connections—pruning that is evident in the adult brain. The adolescent prefrontal cortex also has a lower proportion of white matter, resulting in less efficient communication between neurons.
These processes do not, however, provide a comprehensive biological explanation for why adolescents are impulsive and risk-taking. Such an explanation boils the complex question of what motivates teenage behavior down to simple answers, such as “It’s their brain.”
Passing such a one-dimensional analysis of adolescent behavior on to adolescents themselves may have unintended consequences. When students believe their performance is largely shaped by innate factors, such as biology or natural ability, they give up more easily when faced with difficult academic problems. Carol Dweck, a Stanford University psychologist who researches this self-fulfilling phenomenon, also finds that teaching kids that their performance is shaped by effort and hard work actually encourages persistence with difficult material.
Why do adolescents (more than adults) make rash decisions, experiment with drugs and alcohol, drive dangerously and take unnecessary risks? Their brains are one reason, but so are poor sleep habits, peer pressure, parenting practices and the degree to which culture does (or doesn’t) teach and reinforce self-control, to name a few.
When we teach about the brain, we are not just teaching about biology. We are also communicating to students about their own identity and potential. When we tell students the brain determines behavior without reference to the myriad evidence that environment, learning and culture also play a major role (and, in fact, can shape the brain itself), we reinforce a mindset that their actions are the result of forces beyond their control.
The next time you teach about the brain, consider not only the content you are teaching but also what you are teaching students about themselves. Here are some ideas to consider when teaching about the adolescent brain:
Aspire for change: The brain is constantly changing through a process called neuroplasticity. Learning causes new connections between neurons to proliferate. These connections are then strengthened and made more efficient when learning is repeated or weakened and eventually eliminated when it is not. Through aspirational thinking, you can actually persist in learning a new skill and thereby change the neural networks in the brain and improve brain function.
Two-way street: The brain affects behavior but is also affected by behavior. Pathways of neurons are weakened or strengthened depending on repetition of experience. Learning can generate new neurons. Brain structures, such as the hippocampus, can shrink or grow when exposed to environmental conditions, such as repeated stress or emotional trauma.
Biology is not destiny: Behavior is shaped by biological factors, such as brain development, but also by other factors. Challenge your class to think of other explanations for adolescent behavior, such as social and cultural influences and personal experience.
March 10-14 is Brain Awareness Week. Consider taking some time to learn more about how brain awareness can actually change your students’ attitudes about their own brains—and even help them be more successful in school. You can also read about the neuroscience of social emotional learning in “The Social Neuroscience of Education,” excerpted in a recent issue of Teaching Tolerance.
Drwal is a psychologist at the Iowa City VA Health Care System. He works with and advocates for veterans and their families.
