Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Teenagers Shot for Developing Their Thinking

This story really bothers me.  I have debated if I want to blog about it knowing that my own biases and theories would seep in.  But after some time, I thought "isn't that was blogging is all about, having my thoughts seep out?"

On Friday, January 28  2011, "according to authorities, Julie Schenecker [50 years old] confessed to killing her children for repeatedly talking back to her and being 'mouthy.' "  Her children, [son, Beau, 13 and daughter, Calyx, 16] were shot as they both carried on with their daily routines on Thursday, January 27, 2011.  The details of their crime are horrendous, something I don't want to cover here, but the mother's motivation seems like a common occurrence.

How many parents/caregivers complain about mouthy kids?  How many times have you witnessed a public display of a teen talking back to an adult?  How many times have you yourself thought "that kid is really pushing my buttons?"  Adolescents are known to talk back, have strong opinions, test their boundaries, and question authority.  It is all part of being an adolescent who is on the journey to adulthood.

During adolescent brain development, the youth develops their thinking.  Five thinking areas have been identified: (1) reasoning / problem solving; (2) decision making / hypothetical situations; (3) processing information / efficiency. (4) expertise / use of experience; and (5) moral reasoning / social cognition.  All of these areas move the adolescent from concrete thinking, as during young childhood, to more complex, analytical thinking.  These areas need development so the adolescent becomes a thoughtful adult who is able to think beyond himself/herself and become a successful part of a community.

When I give a presentation I tell the audience a few things to keep in mind.  First, being able to reason and problem solve (not math) is all about the adolescent's ability to come up with options, logical planning, and finding the reason to do things.  Adults helping to build this sort of thinking need to guide the youth through a problem, not solve the problem for them.

Second, helping a youth with decision making skills is all about imagining hypothetical situations.  It is the basis of the "pro and con list" that is very often suggested.  Adolescents need to figure out what would happen if X happened versus what would happen if Y happened.  Adults need to remember to ask the question, "What do you think would have happened if X?" but then SHUT UP and let the kid answer it.  If you aren't getting an answer, then guided discussion is better than supplying the answer for them.

Third, their brains can only process certain level of information at one time.  This is clearly seen in the blank faces of adolescents when asked a question and there is no quick response.  Their brains are working on a response but can only do it so fast with the level of efficiency in their brains.  Give them time to process and respond and don't assume they are being difficult when they don't answer the question right away.

Fourth, their ages determine how many experiences they have.  A 12 year old only as 12 years of experience and you must remember that when assigning responsibilities.  Be realistic for the amount of and kind of experiences that make them "experts" in different areas.

Finally, social cognition involves not only moral reasoning but impression formation (i.e. meeting new people), perspective taking (putting yourself in somebody's else shoes), and social conventions (laws, rules, guidelines, etc.).  The toughest for adults to probably deal with is the understanding of social conventions.  Why are things a certain way?  Teenagers may say:  "Why do I have to be home at 11pm when my friends can stay out to midnight?", "Why do I have to go to church when I don't believe in God anymore?", "I think my bedroom is clean enough."  The problem is that adults think questioning of social conventions as being more argumentative and a direct question of their authority.  What I like to tell the audience is that the adolescent is not becoming more argumentative just better at it. 

Thinking development is a wonderful characteristic of adolescent brain development..  My use of the term "wonderful" may be a stretch for some of you in the heat of a stressful discussion with an adolescent, but having a kid talk back to me at least signifies that they were listening in the first place.

Obama Girls Don't Need Facebook

First Lady Michelle Obama was interviewed this morning on the Today Show.  Among the various questions Matt Lauer asked one included whether or not the Obama girls (Malia, 12 years old and Sasha, 9 years old) are on Facebook.  Mrs. Obama responded that they are not and they don't need to be.  The idea of do they NEED to be is such a refreshing look at the idea of social networking.  Do kids really need to be on the internet  talking to friends, making plans, joining groups, "dating," and spending time away from real life human interactions? 

Mrs. Obama seemed to say that her daughters don't need that type of social interaction at THEIR AGE.  [Facebook has a "rule" that no one under the age of 13 is allowed to have a Facebook account, but we know that rule is broken.]  Luckily, due to the Secret Service restrictions, Mrs. Obama and the President can avoid the discussion with their girls about what age would be appropriate. 

Research shows that techology is changing the structure and operations of the brain.  Again, I reference a great book by Gary Small and his wife Gigi Vorgan, "iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind."  This resource describes the brain areas affected and what that means for young brains as they develop.  Moreover, Small and Vorgan do a wonderful job in highlighting the differences between "Digital Native" brains - those younger generations growing up in a technological world - and "Digital Immigrants" brains - those older generations who have had to learn and train on much of the technological advances. 

One of the greatest findings in the book and also supported by other research is the fact that the younger the brain is exposed to large amounts of technology the greater the changes may be.  I believe that the "use it or lose is" principle of brain development is affected by three factors: (1) the time something was introduced: (2) what was introduced; and (3) how much is being introduced.

For example, research on the use of alcohol in young brains shows that there can be changes in the brain operations and structure.  The research talks about the younger the child begins to use alcohol and the amount of consumption (i.e. daily, weekly, one glass, 5 glasses, etc.) will affect the brain.  The adolescent brain continues to change and develop with a great period of development happening between the ages of 10 and 14.  If they are using alcohol during a time when the brain is especially focused on the "use it or lose it" principle than what they are losing are certain parts of the brain that are damaged by alcohol.

Technology use is based on the same logical argument.  Adolescents using multiple forms of  technology at younger ages and for long periods of time strengthen those areas of the brain they need to successfully navigate this technological world but are losing some of the other skills that are not needed when playing video games, texting, surfing the net, and communicating on Facebook. 

Some of the skills that my be lost are: (a) ability to read facial cues and other non-verbal signs; (b) understanding the concept of "personal space;" (c) the ability to empathize with people; (d) thinking in a deeper level of introspection or understanding; and (e) form a loving, intimate relationship with somebody they "like."  While skills may be lost, others are surely gained.  "Digital Native" brains can process information at a greater speed, are better at hand-eye coordination, improve perferial vision, and are exposed to a larger, global community full of different cultures, languages, and human relationships.

The point is knowing when it is AGE appropriate and BRAIN DEVELOPMENT appropriate for your kids to use technology, what forms of technology and how long they can use it.