The Behavioral Neuroscience of AdolescenceUnderstanding the role of brain changes in adolescent behavior and development. Linda Spear provides a detailed and illuminating overview of the genetic, hormonal, and neurological developments that take place during adolescence, and shows how these changes, along with influential sociocultural factors, interact to produce distinctly adolescent behaviors and thought processes. The tension between taking risks, impulsivity, and self-control—a struggle evinced by many adolescents, especially those in therapeutic treatment—is also examined for its sources within the brain. The result is a fascinating overview of the adolescent brain, with profound implications for the clinical treatment of adolescents. |
Contents
Adolescence as a Unique Developmental Stage | 3 |
The Genetics and Evolution of Adolescence | 13 |
Sex Differences Puberty and the Hormonal Reawakening | 36 |
The Brain Its Development and the Neuroscience | 60 |
RiskTaking Impulsiveness and the Emergence | 130 |
Social Behavior and the Emotions of Adolescence | 155 |
Alcohol and Drug Use and Abuse | 191 |
Adolescence and the Emergence | 232 |
Adolescent Vulnerabilities and Opportunities | 281 |
Common terms and phrases
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