Frustrated parents everywhere who are tired of getting
the 'I can't do a hundred things at once' line from their
teens whenever they're asked to take out the garbage,
walk the dog and finish their homework will definitely
appreciate this next bit of research. A US study reveals
that although this response does show a lot of cheek,
it has some truth to it. Apparently, the area of the brain
that governs multi-tasking is still not fully developed
in adolescents.
Researchers at the University of
Minnesota in Minneapolis tested a group of healthy young
people aged nine to 20. They completed tasks known to
activate the prefrontal cortex, the area associated
with reasoning, problem-solving and goal-directed behaviour.
Activities tested recognition memory, spatial memory,
memory span and self-ordered searching.
GOING
MENTAL
"Self-ordered searching requires a high demand
on what I call 'cognitive multi-tasking': holding many
pieces of information in mind simultaneously and using
that information toward a goal. This task is challenging
even for young adults to complete successfully,"
says Dr Monica Luciana, the lead researcher for the
project. The findings of the study, published in the
June issue of Child Development, indicate that
the prefrontal cortex continues to mature throughout
adolescence, "with most functions seeming to plateau
developmentally around the ages of 16-17."
So should parents give up trying
to change their teen and learn to accept the fact that
they just can't walk and chew gum at the same time?
Not according to Dr Luciana who points out that multi-tasking
skills are present in all age groups, just in different
capacities. "Teachers and parents should realize
that teenagers do not have the same capacity for information
processing as young adults, especially as the demands
on their behaviour increase. It is not that they are
unable to multi-task, but their capacity for how much
information can be effectively and accurately managed
is less than that of a young adult."
IT'S
NO JOY RIDE
This information comes as no surprise to Dr Renee Slick,
who works with teens aged 15-17 at the Simulation, Training
and Assessment Research (STAR) Lab at Kansas State University.
Her research on young drivers will help teens understand
why Mum and Dad won't just hand them the car keys without
giving them the third degree.
The results of the Minneapolis
study "dove-tail nicely into our research,"
says Dr Slick, as the "complexity of the driving
environment" seems to support the idea that the
prefrontal cortex is still developing in teens. Subjects
sit in the front half of a Ford Focus with a 180-degree
display, onto which the researchers project images of
different traffic and weather conditions. All of the
car's interior mechanisms are fully functional —
even the CD player. "We can program aggressive
ambient traffic and then see what it's like to answer
a cell phone." Teens are frequently surprised,
she says, at their inability to complete simple tasks
in more difficult driving conditions.
HEAD
TRIP
A teen's false sense of security can lead to overconfidence,
and that can be the biggest danger of all, says Dr Slick
who presented her research at the American Psychological
Society meeting in May. "It's been a big surprise
for me, getting inside teens' heads. We need to understand
teens' attitudes and how that translates into behaviour
in real driving situations."
The University of Minnesota
study on prefrontal cortex development helps us understand
teens' abilities and attitudes, says Dr Slick. "We
haven't yet got the longitudinal studies that say these
kinds of driving simulators make for safer drivers,"
she admits. "But research like this certainly helps
us in our efforts."
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