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Brain development (myth) (1)

Adolescent behavior is influenced by the emotional context and the maturity of the limbic system, which can override the prefrontal cortex's control during high-stakes situations. While adolescents possess adult-level intellectual capabilities, they often struggle with impulse control in emotionally charged moments. Educators can support adolescents by creating safe learning environments, providing constructive feedback, and encouraging self-regulation and healthy risk-taking.

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Tshegofatso Grace
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3 views

Brain development (myth) (1)

Adolescent behavior is influenced by the emotional context and the maturity of the limbic system, which can override the prefrontal cortex's control during high-stakes situations. While adolescents possess adult-level intellectual capabilities, they often struggle with impulse control in emotionally charged moments. Educators can support adolescents by creating safe learning environments, providing constructive feedback, and encouraging self-regulation and healthy risk-taking.

Uploaded by

Tshegofatso Grace
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Brain development (adolescence)

Myth?

Adolescent behaviour is due to protracted development of prefrontal cortex.

If this was the case, then children would engage in similar or worse behaviour than
adolescents

- Adolescents are able to reason and understand risks of behaviours in which they
engage and do not consider themselves invincible / capable of making rational
decisions, but in emotionally charged situations the more mature limbic system
will win over the prefrontal control system
- When faced with an immediate personal decision / real-life situation,
adolescents will rely less on intellectual capabilities and more on feelings. When
reasoning about a hypothetical dilemma / scenarios, the adolescent will rely
more on logical information
- When a poor decision is made in the heat of the moment, the adolescent may
know better, but the salience of the emotional context biases his or her
behaviour in opposite direction of the optimal action.
- Implication: the environmental context and emotional significance of the
decision greatly influence the adolescent
- Adolescents show adult levels of intellectual capability earlier than they show
evidence of adult levels of impulse control
- As such, adolescents may be capable of making informed choices about their
future but do not yet have full capacity to override impulses in emotionally
charged situations that require decisions in the heat of the moment.

Classroom implications

How would knowledge about risk taking, reward processing, and emotional
reactivity influence your teaching?

 When adolescents are in the presence of peers, the reward circuitry in the brain is
more active – social learning, peer feedback
 When reasoning about a hypothetical dilemma, the adolescent will rely more on
logical information.

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Brain development (adolescence)

 Safe learning spaces where the focus is on learning and where it is acceptable or
rather preferred to also make mistakes, correct errors and improve work.
 Positive (constructive) feedback, choice (independence) might lead to healthy risk-
taking
 Delayed gratification and self-regulated learning (Skills to be developed)

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