RUNNINGHEAD: Psychology

Teenage Behavior during Adolescence

[Date of Submission]

Teenage Behavior during Adolescence

Introduction

The article I have selected for the review and analysis is Surprising Results in Teen Study: Adolescent Risky Behavior May Signal Mature Brain by ScienceDaily. It involves evaluating an age old theory regarding the behaviors of adolescents. It said that there is a delay in the maturation of the brain, which causes the erratic, dangerous and impulsive that has become an identifying feature of adolescents. What with the advancements in technology, it has finally become possible to question and validate the authenticity of this theory by employing a kind of brain imaging technique.

A recent study that was conducted to evaluate the behaviors of teens show that those adolescents that are responsible for engaging in high-risk activities are observed to possess fontal white matter tracts which can be commonly found in adults in that specific form, compared to other adolescents who engage in 'safe' activities. It is a well known fact that it takes the human brain all the years of adolescence well into the mid-twenties to become fully mature.

The brain is observed to be composed of two distinct matters, differentiated on the basis of their color and function. It is composed of Gray matter and white matter. The gray matter is comprised of neuron and the white matter is what links these neurons to one another. With the passage of time, as the brain starts maturing, the white matter becomes more organized and denser. White matter and the gray matter both follow different trajectories, yet both of them as essential for understanding the functions of the brain.

The research team was surprised to see that the high risk behavior was connected to the increased developed white matter, thereby signifying a mature brain. The only evidence of 'maturity' between the male and female white ...