Teen Brain

Teen Brain

1. Growth Mindset

   • persistence
   • talents can be developed through effort
   • skills or talent level is not fixed at birth
   • accept setbacks

2. Brain development

   • brain develops back to front
   • childhood brain is busy, forming new connections
   • large presence of grey matter, or non myelinated neurons
   • At 10 years old, the brain has the most connections it'll probably ever have, pruning takes place now
   • replace grey matter with white matter
   • age 25, brain becomes mature

3. Brain's reward system (triad)

   • connections between the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex are not complete
   • teens seek new experiences
   • teens rely more heavily on emotions, amygdala
   • teens not that great at identifying threats
   • self regulation skils are important

4. Conscious vs Unconscious

   • AED, a medical device, helps support those going through cardiac arrest
   • CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) keeps blood flowing to the brain during cardiac arrest
   • every cell needs oxygen
   • consciousness is wakefulness and awareness
     • five senses, reasoning ability, brain receives and processes info
   • Unconsciousness is interruption of awareness of oneself and surroundings
     • could be due to oxygen deprivation, shock, depressants

5. memory and five senses

   • reactivation of group of neurons
   • encode, store, retrieve
   • declarative and nondeclarative
   • sight, sound, hearing, taste, and smell

6. sleep, physical activity, nutrition, stress management

   • sleep is decreased arousal created by neural activity
     • circadian rhythm
     • five stages
   • moderate and vigorous activity
     • five elements of fitness
   • nutrients more important than calories
   • stress is how the body responds to a challenge
     • levels of stress: positive, tolerable, toxic
     • reach out to adults if need help or stressed and having trouble managing stress

7. physical risks in environment

   • use helmets = brain protection
   • distracted driving (don't text and drive)
   • teens don't evaluate threat as much as adults and that can be bad
   • ATV - remember to take training and be safe

8. Media influence and decision making

   • media targets teens specifically
     • celebrity endorsements, health claims, and product design features
   • ads show emotion, independence, popularity, acceptance, and attractiveness showing them as success

9. Self regulation

   • mental processes that help us plan, monitor progress, take control, and reflect
   • caregivers and mentors can help teens gain these skills
   • memory, mental flexibility, and self control

10. affiliation

    • causes: common interests, friendship, stress can be a trigger
    • who we affiliate with can be related to facial expressions, body posture, and movement

11. aggression

    • testosterone influences to create aggression after puberty
    • not all aggression is bad
    • can be a protective mechanism and is different from VIOLENCE