Understanding

Teen Behaviour

Adolescence is a time of growth and maturation in the brain.

Adolescence is also a time when many new behaviours begin to emerge, most of which irritate and frustrate parents!

Typical teenage behavioural changes include: Changes in ATTENTION

Changes in MOTIVATION Changes in RISK-TAKING behaviour
You might be surprised to learn that many adolescent behaviours are a direct result of brain changes, and are completely normal!

ATTENTION: Are you listening?

Many cognitive abilities (including the control of attention) rely on the proper functioning of a part of the brain called the prefrontal cortex. BUT the prefrontal cortex undergoes massive structural changes during adolescence, and it is one of the last brain areas to mature completely!

ATTENTION: Improves with age

In one study, researchers used two tasks to measure attention in adolescents, and performance increased with age.

boys girls

This might mean that older adolescents have a better attentional capacity than younger adolescents, and that attentional capacity improves as the brain matures. Thank goodness!
Anderson et al. (2001)

MOTIVATION: I dont care

She wont make her bed! She lives like a pig! I dont know what to do!

Leave me alone
Why wont she just do what I ask her to do?

I dont want to
He wont study! Doesnt he realize that he wont pass if he doesnt study?

I dont care

MOTIVATION: Adults vs. Teens

One study looked at the differences in motivation between adults and teenagers. The researchers compared the brain activation of adults and teenagers while they were performing the same task for a reward.

Compared to adults, teenagers under-use the brain circuits that are involved in motivation!
Bjork et al. (2004)

MOTIVATION: Get Movin Kid!

This under-use of the motivational system might be the reason why teenagers need extreme rewards to achieve the same level of brain activity as adults. AND the difference in brain activity between teenagers and adults can be even LARGER when the reward is not instant.

What does this mean for me??

Most teenagers are more likely to do their homework for a $5 reward TONIGHT than for a $50 reward next week!

MOTIVATION: It takes time

The primary motivation circuit helps promote decision making and helps in the selection of motivational drives for behaviour.

The motivational drives that are represented in the primary motivation circuit change during puberty (for example, surges in sex hormones tend to increase sexual motivation).
Chambers et al. (2003)

MOTIVATION: It takes time

During these developmental changes in motivation circuitry, novelty-seeking and risk-taking behaviours might be promoted.

However, as adolescence progresses, teens become increasingly motivated by the things that motivate adults (boring, responsible things like long-term rewards!)

Chambers et al. (2003)

RISK-TAKING
Teenagers are known for risk-taking, novelty seeking, reckless behaviour and impulsivity.
Believe it or not, some degree of risk-taking in adolescence is normative (and adaptive)!

(Spear, 2000)

RISK-TAKING
Risk-taking might allow teens to:

Explore adult behaviour and privileges Accomplish normal developmental tasks Learn from their mistakes

BUT, risk-taking carries potential for negative outcome!!

(Spear, 2000)

RISK-TAKING: What are the stats?

16-20 year olds (males AND females) are twice as likely to be in car accidents than 20-50 year olds
(Sci. Am. Mind, Jan 2007)

10-14% of adolescents are problem gamblers, and most of these teens started gambling by the age of 12
(Sci. Am. Mind, Jan 2007)

The pregnancy rate in girls 15-19 years old is 4/100

(The Walrus, Nov 2006)

3 million adolescents contract sexually transmitted infections every year

(Sci. Am. Mind, Jan 2007)

14-19 year olds are more likely to commit property crimes or violent offences than any other age group
(The Walrus, Nov 2006)

RISK-TAKING: Impulsivity

The teenage brain is less able to inhibit impulsive behaviours than the adult brain is. This means that in situations where an adult might stop themselves from acting out impulsively, a teenager might not. Luckily, as the brain matures, adolescents are more able to control their behaviour and are more able to voluntarily suppress impulsive behaviours. This is because as the brain matures, more brain circuits are recruited to help suppress impulsivity! The adult-like ability to inhibit behaviours matures gradually during childhood and adolescence, and efficient control of impulsive acts is not fully developed until adulthood!

RISK-TAKING: The neural basis for

What the heck were you thinking?!

When teenagers and adults are faced with potential rewards, their brains respond VERY differently. In teenagers, the maturing reward systems (photo A) are disproportionately active relative to later maturing control systems (photo C).
This biases their actions toward immediate gain rather than long-term gain. This just might underlie some of the risk-taking behaviours that occur during adolescence!

Galvan et al. (2006)

RISK-TAKING: What do we do?

Adolescence is generally a period of increased impulsivity and risktaking behaviour, but some teens might be especially prone to engage in such behaviours.

So what do teens

NEED?

Galvan et al. (2007)

Teenagers need the influence, patience, understanding and guidance of parents

They need reminders of potential consequences and direction toward lesser risks

And they need appropriate amounts of independence, freedom and responsibility.

References
Anderson, V.A., Anderson, P., Northam, E., Jacobs, R., Catroppa, C. 2001. Development of executive functions through late childhood and adolescence in an Australian sample. Developmental Neuropsychology. 20: 385-406. Bjork, J.M., Knutson, B., Fong, G.W., Caggiano, D.M., Bennett, S.M., Hommer, D.W. 2004. Incentive-elicited brain activation in adolescents: similarities and differences from young adults. The Journal of Neuroscience. 24: 17931802. Chambers, R.A., Taylor, J.R., Potenza, M.N. 2003. Developmental neurocircuitry of motivation in adolescence: A critical period of addiction vulnerability. American Journal of Psychiatry. 160: 1041-1052. Galvan, A., Hare, T.A., Parra, C.E., Penn, J., Voss, H., Glover, G., Casey, B.J. 2006. Earlier development of the accumbens relative to orbitofrontal cortex might underlie risk-taking behavior in adolescents. The Journal of Neuroscience. 26: 6885-6892. Galvan, A., Hare, T.A., Voss, H., Glover, G., Casey, B.J. 2007. Ris-taking and the adolescent brain: Who is at risk? Developmental Science. 10: F8-F14. Luna, B., Thulborn, K.R., Munoz, D.P., Merriam, E.P., Garver, K.E., Minshew, N.J., Keshavan, M.S., Genovese, C.R., Eddy, W.F., Sweeney, J.A. 2001. Maturation of widely distributed brain function subserves cognitive development. NeuroImage. 13: 786-793.

Spear, L.P. 2000. The adolescent brain and age-related behavioral manifestations. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. 24: 417-463.
Is the teen brain too rational?. In: Scientific American Mind, January 2007. The teenage brain. In: The Walrus, November 2006.

Sun Life Financial Chair

In Adolescent Mental Health
For more information visit

WWW.TEENMENTALHEALTH.ORG