Inside the Teenage Brain Flashcards
(23 cards)
Cells that are used will… cells that are not used or making connections will…
thrive and flourish… wither and die. Use it or lose it.
When is the dramatic growth in cells and connections happen?
Before becoming a teen/before puberty.
When does substantial changes in brain development happen rapidly?
1 or 2 years.
When does an unexpected growth spurt happen? The same over production of cells just before puberty.
Same process that happens in the womb and first 18 months of life.
What happens during the second wave of over production of brain cells?
Thickening of gray matter.
At what age is the brain already 95% of the adult size?
Age 6 and will continue to thicken throughout childhood as the brain cells grow/make extra connections.
What is the pruning down phase?
Use it or lose it. Cell connections that are used will survive and flourish. Those that are not used will wither and die.
Cognitive Flexibility
Fluid way of problem solving.
Teens are capable of of intellectual and artistic accomplishments but what is the part of the brain called that is not fully board/developed that warns us of potential consequences?
Frontal Cortex
It’s easy to feel what when you are good, determined, and young?
Invulnerable
At what age are adolescences experiencing a period of high risk and still immature, often not making the most responsible and reasoned decisions.
13-15 years old.
How many years can drugs and alcohol affect the brain?
For the next 80 years.
What is the cause for dramatic changes in mood?
Changes in hormones.
What part of the brain has to slowly change so kids have the ability to regulate powerful emotions, solve problems more effectively, and be more “planful” in their behavior.
Changes in the frontal cortex.
What are teens unable to read all of?
Feelings in adult faces.
Adolescent’s what has less activation than adults and more of what than adults?
Less pre-frontal activation and more emotion/gut.
What changes the most during the teen years, that changes the coordination of muscles and the coordination of our thinking process?
Cerebellum
What shifts forward as children become teens?
the Circadian clock shifts forward.
What happens during REM sleep?
Dreaming and learning happens during REM sleep. The same part of the brain that was working while learning the new skill continues to rehearse and practice. The brain consolidates and improves on what was learned.
What gives someone the best advantage than anything else?
A good nights sleep.
Myth of the First Three Years
Mobiles, Mozart, and lost of stimulus.
What makes the biggest difference in a child’s life?
The relationships, people, and connections; it’s the people in the child’s lief that makes the biggest difference.
When do kids need adults the most?
When the adult(s) push off kids.
