my teacher makes students sing to the class if their phone beeps
things i didn’t realize i did until socially awkward penguin pointed them out to me
part 1
Lip’s Truth or Dare: Single Ladies Dance
This has got to be one of the greatest things ever.
Happy birthday, Steve. Rest in peace ♥
Part I. Review General Materials
Richtel, M. (2010, December 21). Growing up digital, wired for distraction. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/technology/21brain.html.
The article I reviewed stated that teens today are decreasing their cognitive abilities for prolonged concentration. Multiple digital devices are readily available to keep adolescents from focusing on their work. Reading an entire book seems to be impossible to a teen who is repeatedly interrupting the process by checking Facebook, sending a text, or watching a YouTube video. The point that the article emphasizes is that process of interrupting is making various learning processes difficult. Research has shown that there is a rewarding component this behavior, thus why it is repeated.
Also examined is the role that technology plays in an educational setting. Essentially, you have the “old school” educators who do not think that we should be catering to the interests of teens. The other side are the “new wavers” who think we should meet the adolescents where they’re at and incorporate technology, like iPads and specialized classes into the curriculum. As someone who works in education, I personally advocate for a more balanced approach. I like the opportunity that technology can offer, like video chatting with people in other countries. Or that a child who does not have access at home to basic technology can experience using a computer. Children need to be taught that technology has a place.
Part II
I do not see things changing in regard to using technology in education- only in that technology will continue to progress and offer new features. I wonder what it would take to create a “technology backlash” wherein we would go back to a books, lined paper and chalk board system. Also, as more and more money is allocated to technology and PSSA-type remediation, it is taken away from other programs, like the arts and certain sports programs. Over time, I would expect to see negative effects from the combination of no arts programs and increased use of digital tools. I suspect things won’t change until we see the true effects these changes are having on the development of children later in their lives. I do not believe this multi-tasking (which I believe is really cognitive overload) is leading to “humans 2.0.” Rather, that, as the article I reviewed stated, the multi-tasking is leading to a generation of individuals who cannot focus for an extended period of time. Social skills? Writing skills? Medical problems? We have to wait to find out.
Part III:
Pea, R., Nass, C., Meheula, L., Rance, M., Kumar, A., Bamford, H., Nass, M., Simha, A., Stillerman, B., Yang, S., & Zhou, M. (2012, January 23). Media use, face-to-face communication, media multitasking, and social well-being among 8- to 12-year-old girls. Developmental Psychology.
This study examined the effects of various types of media on social well-being. Results indicated negative socioemotional outcomes were correlated with video viewing, online communication, and multimedia multitasking. They made sure to specify that these outcomes were not proven directionally. Meaning, they were NOT trying to say that it was online communication that caused the negative socioemotional outcomes. I appreciated that this was explained. Additionally, they found that younger participants felt more social stress from in-person friends whereas older participants felt more from online communications. This finding was surprising to me. Perhaps it’s explained by the fact that younger participants (closer to 8 years old) wouldn’t have as much exposure to certain forms of media and therefore, be less impacted by it.
These findings did support my thoughts from the first article; that there must be negative “side effects” of prolonged or extreme media use. Although they are not proving that these media tools are causing negative effects, it would be ridiculous think that the connection between the two isn’t important.
Part I- Personal Reflection
A. Recall
When I was 16, I was in a very intense, committed relationship. I remember feelings emotions so intensely, more so than ever before or since. At the end of a date, I cried. Not the “I let a few tears escape”-cry. No- a full out, ugly face, mascara running-cry. Besides feelings of sadness, I also recall intense feelings of anger. One silly mistake (made by someone else, of course) and my levels of irrationality were off the charts. Once, when my boyfriend and I were driving to a dinner date, I remember getting so agitated over the fact that he was driving too close to the curb that I flipped out and made him drive me back home.
B. Interpretation
The above examples, when compared to my current mode of operation, are meant to illustrate how “not myself” I was during that time. Were “raging hormones” the cause of my actions? Personally, I don’t discount the part that hormones or other biological explanations played in my behaviors. Situational factors influenced the sad emotions, but not the angry ones- at least not logically. Why would I purposefully detonate a relationship that I wanted to continue? No one explanation seems to explain my behavior.
Part II- Find More Information
Maxym, C. (2001). Talking with your teen. PBS: Inside the teen brain. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/teenbrain/etc/worksheet.html
Adolescents and their parents often struggle with communication. This may be due to the fact that these individuals exist in different worlds. Adults are fully developed, independent humans with careers and responsibilities. Teen, however, are still awaiting full development of their bodies and minds, struggling with being at least partially dependent on their caretakers, and generally are focused on cultivating their social lives (and, in some cases, academics may also get some attention). Certainly hormonal changes are influencing the way an adolescent is experiencing emotions and in turn, the way they communicate them (or do not communicate them, as the case may be).
“Talking with your teen” is an article that recommends a more “scientific” approach to parent-teen communication. It suggests using a few different printouts: an emotions list, a short questionnaire, and a check sheet. As someone who works in a school, I could see how these may be beneficial between a teen and a guidance counselor or medical/mental health professional who may have some questions about how the individual has been feeling during this phase of development. Personally, the idea that a parent would use this amuses me. I would think my dear old mother had packed her bags and headed to crazy town if she tried to sit me down to fill out the sheets the article provides. What would be more useful would be a modification of sensitivity training, given to parents, regarding teen development, emotions, and communication. Specifically, that parents need to listen and stop minimizing the teen’s experience. It may seem dramatized or ridiculous to parents, but to the teen it is real. Approaching a teen in a more understanding and organic way (i.e. not using predesigned worksheets) could yield more fruitful results than more common methods.
Part III
Galinsky, E. & Davis, J. (1999). Ask the children: What America’s children really think about working parents. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=X_LaLFYJ43gC&oi=fnd&pg=PT3&dq=Ellen+Galinsky+ask+the+children&ots=DsjZcJOEXn&sig=lW3Eay5AZovPlSgpkBgbbohjlEw#v=onepage&q=Ellen%20Galinsky%20ask%20the%20children&f=false
* Note: The following article was also used in the PBS: Inside the teen brain series but was not directly cited in the “Talking with your teen” article. *
A. The researchers in this study used a combination of techniques to gather data. Some of the participants were interviewed (some in person, others on the phone), some were given a questionnaire and others, both. Because no variables were manipulated, this is descriptive research. Participants (children and their parents) were asked about how work impacted their familial relationships.
B. Research was done in chunks and combined. Participants were children ages 8-18 and parents. Group sizes varied, with certain cohorts containing up to 1,023 children. This group was said to be “nationally representative.” Generalizations can likely be made to other children who have parents who work similar jobs and hours, but not to those with nonworking parents.
C. The findings (as they apply to the “Talking with teens” article I examined above) reported that children (teen included) and parents both had trouble guessing what the other was thinking. Teens also said that they wanted to spend more time with their parents, but that parents did not seem to see evidence of this. What the study suggests in for parents to spend quality time with teens. This may include being persistent, even when teens seem uninterested or unavailable. Suggestions that did not make the list? Using worksheets to understand your teens. Interesting.
you are!
Part I: Article
Dobbs, D. (2011, October). Beautiful brains. National Geographic. Retrieved from http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/print/2011/10/teenage-brains/dobbs-text
A. Review
The article I selected states that we need to reframe our current thoughts about the teen brain. It states that, from an evolutionary view, the adolescent mind should be heralded for its adaptive qualities- which, at this stage of life, are more useful than harmful.
For example, the author notes the increase in thrill seeking behaviors during this time. We should, he says, view this instead as a general “sensation seeking” drive, which can open teens up to new friends. These friends can allow the adolescent to feel happier, more connected, safer and expose them to new, useful experiences.
Another behavior that needs reframing is that of risk taking. The author states that these behaviors are not simply the result of under developed brains and hormones, rather, that teens use critical thinking, much in the way adults do when in situations like these. The difference, they say, is that teens weigh risk versus reward differently. If taking the risk involves getting something they want (social rewards are especially potent) they are more likely to participate. In the big picture, it is the willingness to take risks that allows teens and young adults to move out of the security of their parents home and into the real world, which is often not as secure. Additionally, behaviors that lead to social rewards (like friendships) are beneficial in the long run. Why? Because teens will eventually grow up, and live and work in a world “run and remade” by their peers, not their parents.
Finally, the idea of prolonged brain plasticity is examined. This transitional state allows for revisions to be made. Teen’s personal experiences can influence the rewiring that is occurring in the brain during the adolescent years. If the brain became more finalized and rigid earlier in life, it would make learning more difficult.
B. Evaluate
As someone who has looked into evolutionary psychology before, I was very interested to see how the author would use the theory and general framework of the field to reinterpret the adolescent brain. This approach offers ways to make the changes and behaviors of teens seem almost useful. Without the adaptive brain quality of this age, what would teens become? Agoraphobics who never leave their parents houses or develop a sense of wonder about the world? Okay, maybe that is a little dramatic, but these behaviors, the sensation seeking, emphasis on social rewards, and neural plasticity, all allow teens to do what we ultimately want them to do- Grow up and become happy, well adjusted, well connected members of society. The reframes the author offered seem perfectly logical to me. He was able to give multiple, concrete examples of those much-feared teen behaviors have practical silver linings.
Part II: My Opinions
Through careful introspection, I have determined that my opinions of teens and their rights and standards of responsibility differ for each of the individual questions you posed. I found myself saying, “But there is so much variation among the adolescent population in terms of personal development and maturity!” However, the more I pondered, I realized this is true of all age groups, yet, there are standard rules and laws that apply to these populations. Yet teens, who are their own developmental group, are forced to be seen as a child or an adult. If multiple disciplines are acknowledging this age range as something separate from childhood and adulthood, they should have separate laws and standards for adolescents. So to answer your questions “should adolescents have the same rights and be held to the same standards of responsibility as adults?” my answer is no, they should not be treated as adults, but they should also not be treated like children.
Though the framework and concepts presented in my National Geographic article, I do not think that the “developing brain” argument works here. The evolutionary perspective, for me, shows that the behaviors of teens have their own purpose. Years ago, the adolescent years did not really exist. People got married and had children younger, and died younger as well. Despite the research done and label put on this developmental state, we have yet to acknowledge it thoughtfully enough in any sect of the “real world” apart from popular culture.
I think how we “deal” with teens should be more than reporting statistics or giving lectures. The approach needs to be bidirectional. We need to provide teens with an education and facts to help support their choices, but something else needs to be done. The adult population needs to reframe their thoughts about teens, specifically using the evolutionary perspective outlined in Dobbs article.
Part III: Journal Article
Harden, K. P. & Tucker-Drob, E. M. (2011). Individual differences in the development of sensation seeking and impulsivity during adolescence: Further evidence for a dual systems model. Developmental Psychology, 47 (3).
A. The researchers used a longitudinal study. This was not “true research” because no variables were manipulated, making it description based research. This cohort was already inexistence before the present study began, the researchers simply used data gathered for their study. These participants were given questions which the researchers purport measure impulsivity and sensation seeking. Responses were given using a 4-point Likert-type scale.
B. The main study from which the present data points were taken is the National Longitudinal Study of Youth (NLSY79) Children and Young Adults (CNLSY). This group’s population is nationally representative (22% Hispanic, 34% African American, and 44% non-Hispanic White). The present study examined scores from children and young adults ages 12 to 24 (n=7,640).
1. Generaliziability. Given the nature of the sample group, I would hypothesize that this study’s findings are able to be generalized to children and young adults of the same age range who did not participate in the survey. I would not encourage any data from this study to be said to represent any other age groups.
C. It is first important to state that there were pronounced differences between “impulsivity” and “sensation seeking” found in this study. Namely, that impulsivity was highest at 12 and then declined dramatically every subsequent year. Sensation seeking, however, increased fairly significantly between 12-14 (when you would expect to see an increase in the development of peer group and importance of social rewards, as discussed above) and then it remains fairly consistent until age 22 when the drop becomes a bit more noticeable. The research also found significant differences between participants in the age grouping’s scores on both measures. (I also touched on this above).
