Essay Response to Inside the Teenage Brain

The Assignment: After watching the film, and reading both the contextual blurb (found below) and the Physical Development book chapter, you should prepare an essay response which addresses the three questions listed below. Because this is your first major writing assignment for this course, I encourage you to take a look at the “Writing Tips” located in the “writing assignments” folder on our BB site. While I expect students to apply each tip, I encourage you to pay particular attention to Tip #2 when structuring your essay. Your response should be 2-4 pages when typed (12 point font) and double spaced. Your name alone is sufficient as a header providing authorship information, similar to the one above in the upper right hand corner. To help you understand what I am looking for when grading these assignments, I include at rubric at the end of this document. Context blurb: During our “teenage” years, our brain goes through a second substantial transformation, the first occurring during our first two years of life. Regarding the significance of the development occurring during this “second wave” of brain transformation, a National Institute of Mental Health scientist (Dr. Jay Giedd) asserts: “In many ways, it’s the most tumultuous time of brain development since coming out of the womb.” The film (and associated reading) presents information and “evidence” which suggests that 1) imbalance and 2) immaturity of the brain may account for “troubling” behavior during adolescence. 1) First, summarize the biological changes during adolescence which may contribute to delinquent behaviors (according to the film and course reading). You need not discuss the “scientific details” of these biological changes, rather clearly and concisely summarize the “argument” in your own words. Specifically, I encourage you to select 2-3 of the following concepts, found in the both the reading and film, as the basis of your summary (synaptic pruning; prefrontal cortex; limbic system; puberty; hormonal feedback loop; growth spurt; variations by sex; characteristics of sexual maturation by sex; psychological consequences of puberty; melatonin/sleep issues; environmental stimulus). 2) Next, your paper should consider: If biological conditions during adolescence make juveniles engage in “troublesome” behavior which is at times delinquent, is it effective to punish juveniles for these actions (this section is typically the least elaborated and can certainly be combined with point #3 below)? 3) Finally, your paper should address the following issue: Based on your understanding of this issue as presented in the film, reading, class discussion, and your life experience, present an intervention strategy to adolescent misbehavior you feel would be effective.