“Just because they're physically mature, they may not appreciate the consequences or weigh information the same way as adults do. So, [although] somebody looks physically mature, their brain may in fact not be mature.”
Deborah Yurgelun-Todd, PhD
Deborah Yurgelun-Todd, PhD
While 95 percent of the human brain has developed by the age of six, scientists report that the greatest spurts of growth take place during adolescence. Desribed below are the functions carried out by certain lobes of the brain.
Frontal lobes- This is where the teen processes knowledge. The frontal lobes are responsible for developing reading, writing, math, and music skills. Without the frontal cortex the teen would neither be able to analyze or evaluate information, nor apply knowledge to new situations. Moral development coincides with intellectual growth. As intellectual and moral growth increases, the teen will be able to think more rationally, and come to an understanding that it is important to care about other people. Self control, sound judgement, and emotional regulation is more difficult for the under-developed frontal lobes of the young adolescent. Teens have a habit of falling in love a lot. The frontal lobe is the part of the brain that translates the messages of attraction and pleasure from other parts of the brain as love. Because an adolescents frontal lobes are still developing, deciphering feelings in a romantic relationship is quite difficult. Corpus callosum: The main function of the corpus callosum is communication. This part of the brain makes it possible for information to go from one side of the brain to the other. The corpus callosum also deals with self awareness. The developing corpus callosum helps the teenager understand himself in relation to the people around him. It reaches full maturity in the 20's. www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/teenbrain/.html Parietal lobes , which are still developing at the age of 16, process information taken in by the senses, like the feeling of pain, and it also deals with the teen's spatial awareness. Athletic and musical abilities become enhanced during this time. The ability of a teenager to drive a car is alo affected by the development of the parietal lobes. Temporal lobe: The temporal lobes are still developing after the age of 16, and have the highest growth rate of any other area in the brain. The temporal lobes are responsible for processing what the teenager hears, how the teenager speaks, as well how the teenager feels. The Wernicke's area located in the temporal lobe deals specifically with language and assigning meaning to words; the Broca's area stores vocabulary, grammar and usage. During the teenage years, the Wernicke's area is becoming capable of allowing smoother communication between the left and right hemisphere, enabling the teen to be able to process more complex information. Another part located in the temporal lobes is the hippocampus, which deals with short-term memory. The vast development that takes place here is the reason memorizing facts comes much easier for the teen brain. Source: Feinstein, S. (2009). Secrets of the teenage brain: Research-based strategies for reaching and teaching today's adolescents (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin |
(The image shown on the bottom shows the actual location of the lobes of the brain. The image directly below demonstrates which parts of the brain are responsible for carrying out specific functions common to a teenager. Click on the images to getter a better view.)
What's going on in that head of yours?
|