Uncharacteristic behavior of teens... Or is it, characteristic?

Week 6-Puberty and Behavior of Adolescents

Uncharacteristic behavior of teens... Or is it, characteristic?

        Many times I have heard parents say, "This is so uncharacteristic of him!"  When trying to explain the rude and snippy behavior of their teenage child to their parental peers.  "One day, he is offering to help and is kind, and the next he wants nothing to do with me!"

        Though, is this really that "uncharacteristic"?  Until recently, neuroscientists believed that the human brain was done developing by the time a child reached puberty.  Thanks to modern-day technology, scientists have discovered the adolescent brain is far from completing maturity, and may not even be complete until they have reached their early 20's.  

        Well, it's obvious to all teachers and counselors of adolescent children, that these children are not done "learning," yet.  "The brain is a work in progress," says Sandra Witleston, a neuroscientist at McMaster University in Ontario.  One of the last processes of the brain to be completed is the area that is in charge of making sound decisions and calming emotions (the prefrontal cortex).  At about the age of 12, a process called "pruning" takes place in the brain.  This is when the brain lets certain synapses "die off", and nourish the ones that are useful.  This also plays a role in being able to think more efficiently.

        It's no surprise to me with all the constant changes our bodies are going through as we grow into adulthood, that our emotions are inconsistant--we are "downloading" so much information daily and weeding through what is necessary to move on, just as computers do.  Even computers tend to "freeze up" and have to reboot.  So, I think it's only human to have emotional malfunctions.  

        This area of study has me wanting to further explore how the brains of those with learning disabilities and mental retardation lose their process of elimination and growth--where did things go wrong in development?  What processes were skipped?

Monkey-See Violence, Monkey-Do Violence

Week 5-Middle Childhood Development, Expanding Social Horizons

Monkey-See Violence, Monkey-Do Violence

        "Children's cartoons typically have on violent (physical force use against another person) act every three minutes.  The average North American youngster will see several thousand murders on TV before reaching adolescence (Waters, 1993)."  How do these two statements make you feel?  

        I have very mixed feelings about this topic.  On the one hand, I do feel it is very important to limit horror and violence to young children who are not ready to process what it actually means.  Though, on the other hand, a lot of what children see on the television actually happens in real life.  Are we supposed to shelter our children so much so that they later have an unrealistic expectation of the world?  If that is the case, then as soon as these children become adults and are on their own, they will have one big surprise coming to them (and not a good one).  

        Based on a study done by Huesmann & Miller in 1994, 8-year-old children who were exposed to extensive amounts of TV violence had the most extensive criminal records as 30-year-olds.  This was found with both male and female, though higher for the boys than the girls.  TV was originally created to be a "window of the world," but has turned into a monster full of nightmares and brain washing (my opinion) polluting peoples' minds--especially young children.  

        How do we draw the line between what is logically to show children, and what is not?  The rating system for television was created as a tool to guide parents as to what is "age appropriate."  Though, I think it's being ignored way too much.  "G" is rated as "Guidance" and is generally good for all ages.  "PG" is rated as "Parental Guidance," but even some PG movies have bullying portrayed in them, fighting or even death.  The death may not be bloody in the PG film, but it's obvious what happened to the deceased.  When "PG" was first announced by the rating system, they had suggested these are the types of movies that parents should sit-in on with their children and be available for explanation or further guidance.  Though, nowadays, many parents sit their children in front of a television to be occupied and turn on any cartoon or show available, not really knowing what is being taught.  TV is being used more as a convenience than a tool anymore.  

        When my son was 2 and 3 years old, he watched a lot of Thomas and Friends shows.  I liked it, because it taught a lot about friendship and responsibility.  Though, as I became a more busy parent, and did not have time to occupy my son, he soon started to mingle with his siblings and watch Star Wars.  It was not until 2 years later, after he had been battling a very aggressive stage, that I realized where he learned all of these angry habits.  He felt connected to the character, Anakin, so much so that he developed a depressed, bitter feeling towards people when they made him angry; his expressions became just like Anakin's when he was "turning to the dark side".  The first time I saw this resemblance in expression, I thought, "Oh my God!  What did I do?!"

Multiple Intelligences at 10% Capacity

Week 4-Chapter 6, Cognitive Development

Multiple Intelligences at 10% Capacity

        In the previous chapters, we have learned about the potential for maturity and our ability to adapt behavior.  How does this tie into a potential for intelligence?  It was previously found by Urie Brofenbrenner that we are all born with the same potential for intelligence and temperament, but it is our environment that shapes who we become. This explanation is very easy for me to believe.  Now we are discovering how scientists measure levels of intelligence.  

        Howard Gardner developed the theory that intelligence should be measured by 9 categories: Linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic and existential.  Every person is created with the potential to excel all of these categories, but there are major factors that prevent that from happening.  Not only does our environment effect our learning, but our genes that came together to form us from tiny cells can develop inaccurately.

        What about the fact that scientists have discovered that we only use 10% of our brains?  What is the other 90% doing, unused?  Is there a deeper level of intelligence, or awareness, that we have not even discovered yet?  This tells me there is even more untouched potential!  Take savants, for instance:  They may have limited mental skills, but are extremely talented in one or more domains (such as music and memory).  Do we not all have the potential to be as skilled or talented?  What are we truly lacking?  Is it nourishment?  I would really love to research more about the other 90%, and our potential for intelligence.  It is true that we all learn in different ways.  What if our schooling was catered individually to everyone in order for us to excel in all subjects--would we then tap into the other 90% of our brains?