The Neurobiological Basis of Changes among Adolescents.
Assignment Topic in Detail:
A recent TV program (ABC’s Four Corners https://www(dot)abc(dot)net(dot)au/radio/programs/am/calls-raise-criminal-responsibility-age-children-in-watch-houses/11110162) revealed that children as young as 10 are being inappropriately treated and held in Australian prisons. As concern for the children’s welfare is voiced, many in the community are calling for an increase to the age of criminal responsibility so that young offenders are dealt with outside of the justice system.
A range of different explanations as to the causes of problematic or risky behaviour have been proposed, from newspaper reports of impulsive, violent or even evil actions (Arinde, 2006; Larimer, 2000) to the various brain changes taking place during adolescence related to reward-seeking and cognitive control (e.g., Smith, Chein, & Steinberg, 2013; Steinberg, 2008; Tymula et al., 2012). Indeed, Steinberg and Scott (2003) argue that adolescents should not be held responsible for murder or other similar infractions, as their brains have not yet reached maturity.
Your task for this essay is:
To evaluate the available evidence on the social, emotional, psychological, biological, and behavioural changes that occur during adolescence and emerging adulthood that may explain their increased vulnerability to specific problems and/or behaviour choices.
The Reference list should include a minimum of 4 academic references, all the research literature you have cited in your essay should be listed in alphabetical order by first author’s surname, and presented in correct APA 6th style.
The Neurobiological Basis of Changes among Adolescents:
A Review of Current Evidence
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The adolescence stage is very important in the life of an individual. This is because the said stage is considered as a period where an individual will develop based on several factors that come to play within his or her surroundings. Within this stage, the identity of an adolescent is still a puzzle, hence, he or she must be guided through the development because this will greatly affect how the person will act in the future.
Literature from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2019) has mentioned that there is a link between the neurobiology of the adolescent to his or her future identity, which is greater in extent as compared to when the individual is still in his or her childhood. The neurobiology behind this is further explained by Steinberg (2008), wherein, adolescents are naturally risk-takers because of the action of changing levels of endogenous neurochemicals. Adolescents are more into being resilient in searching for rewards and this is because of the dopamine activity within the brain. Because of the elevated activity of this neurohormone, there is a chance that adolescents have high tendencies to seek sensation, accounting for their risk-taking behaviors. The author has also mentioned that adolescents are more into social information and the biochemical reason behind this is the increased activity of the hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin is a hormone that can have an effect on the emotions, sociability, recognition, and memory of individuals. It was observed that this hormone is responsible as to why adolescents can gain acceptability in the society through their peers (Erwin, n.d.). Both hormones are responsible for the risk-taking behaviors of these adolescents allowing some of them to be vulnerable in using rec...
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