TEDGlobal 2012
Sarah-Jayne Blakemore: The mysterious workings of the adolescent brain
Sarah-Jayne Blakemore：少年大脑的神奇运作方式
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为什么青少年给人感觉会比较冲动，没有成年人那么有自知之明呢？认知神经学家Sarah-Jayne Blakemore比较了青少年和成年人的前额叶皮层，告诉我们典型的“少年”行为其实可以归咎于大脑的成长还有发育的。
Sarah-Jayne Blakemore - Cognitive Neuroscientist
Sarah-Jayne Blakemore studies the social brain -- the network of brain regions involved in understanding other people -- and how it develops in adolescents. Full bio
Sarah-Jayne Blakemore studies the social brain -- the network of brain regions involved in understanding other people -- and how it develops in adolescents. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:16
Fifteen years ago, it was widely assumed
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15年前，大多数人认为
00:19
that the vast majority of brain development
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人类大脑最重要的发育阶段
00:21
takes place in the first few years of life.
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是在生命开始的头几年进行的
00:24
Back then, 15 years ago, we didn't have the ability
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在过去，15年前，我们还做不到
00:27
to look inside the living human brain
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探究人脑的内部活动的情况
00:29
and track development across the lifespan.
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以及追踪它在生命中的发育过程。
00:32
In the past decade or so, mainly due to advances
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在过去10年左右，主要是依靠
00:36
in brain imaging technology
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脑成像技术的发展
00:37
such as magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI,
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像磁共振成象，简称MRI，
00:40
neuroscientists have started to look inside the living
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神经科学家已经开始了探究不同年龄
00:43
human brain of all ages, and to track changes
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的人脑内部情况，并记录下大脑结构和功能
00:46
in brain structure and brain function,
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的不同变化，
00:49
so we use structural MRI if you'd like to take a snapshot,
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如果需要生成影像，我们可以使用结构磁共振成像，
00:52
a photograph, at really high resolution of the inside
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可以拍出高分辨率的人脑内部图
00:55
of the living human brain, and we can ask questions like,
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这样我们就可以提出一些问题了，例如
00:59
how much gray matter does the brain contain,
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大脑里有多少脑灰质
01:01
and how does that change with age?
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会随着年龄变化而变化吗？
01:03
And we also use functional MRI, called fMRI,
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我们也可以使用功能磁共振成像，简称fMRI
01:07
to take a video, a movie, of brain activity
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它可以拍摄视频，这样就可以在试验者
01:10
when participants are taking part in some kind of task
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进行某项活动中，比如思考或感受某些东西时
01:13
like thinking or feeling or perceiving something.
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记录拍摄下大脑的活动情况。
01:16
So many labs around the world are involved in this kind
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现在世界上很多实验室都参与了这项研究
01:19
of research, and we now have a really rich
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所以我们就得出了很丰富
01:21
and detailed picture of how the living human brain develops,
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很详尽的图片，解密了人脑的发育情况
01:24
and this picture has radically changed the way
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同时这张照片从根本上颠覆了
01:27
we think about human brain development
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我们以往对人脑发育的观念
01:30
by revealing that it's not all over in early childhood,
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通过告诉我们发育的过程不完全都在幼儿阶段
01:33
and instead, the brain continues to develop
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相反，大脑会继续发育
01:35
right throughout adolescence and into the '20s and '30s.
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贯穿整个青春期，一直到20多岁甚至30多岁
01:40
So adolescence is defined as the period of life that starts
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所以青春期也被定义为
01:43
with the biological, hormonal, physical changes of puberty
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生命中生理和荷尔蒙转变的开端
01:48
and ends at the age at which an individual attains
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当人们在社会中获得一个稳定和独立的身份时
01:51
a stable, independent role in society.
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也就标志这青春期的结束了。
01:55
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
01:56
It can go on a long time. (Laughter)
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有时青春期会持续很久很久。（笑声）
01:59
One of the brain regions that changes most dramatically
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大脑其中的一个区域，叫前额叶皮层，
02:02
during adolescence is called prefrontal cortex.
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它在青春期阶段是最活跃的。
02:05
So this is a model of the human brain,
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这个是人脑的一个模型
02:08
and this is prefrontal cortex, right at the front.
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这里是前额叶皮层，就在前面这里
02:11
Prefrontal cortex is an interesting brain area.
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前额叶皮层是非常有意思的一个大脑区域
02:14
It's proportionally much bigger in humans than
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相对其他物种而言
02:17
in any other species, and it's involved in a whole range of
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人类的前额叶皮层是大很多的
02:21
high level cognitive functions, things like decision-making,
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它涉及到大量的高级认知功能 ，例如决策
02:24
planning, planning what you're going to do tomorrow
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计划，计划明天要做的事情
02:26
or next week or next year, inhibiting
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或者下周或明年的
02:29
inappropriate behavior, so stopping yourself saying
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对不恰当行为的抑制，像阻止你
02:31
something really rude or doing something really stupid.
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说一些粗鲁的话或做一些傻事
02:34
It's also involved in social interaction,
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它还涉及到社交方面
02:36
understanding other people, and self-awareness.
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包括理解他人和自我意识
02:39
So MRI studies looking at the development of this region
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所以MRI对前额叶皮层的发育的研究
02:42
have shown that it really undergoes dramatic development
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揭示了它确实在青春期阶段
02:45
during the period of adolescence.
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有着非同寻常的发育情况
02:48
So if you look at gray matter volume, for example,
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举个例子，如果你去看大脑灰质
02:51
gray matter volume across age from age four to 22 years
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从4岁起到22岁的大脑灰质
02:55
increases during childhood, which is what you can see
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会在童年时期会增加，也就是现在在图表上你能看到的
02:58
on this graph. It peaks in early adolescence.
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在早期的青春期会到达顶峰
03:02
The arrows indicate peak gray matter volume
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箭头指的就是大脑灰质在前额叶皮层
03:04
in prefrontal cortex. You can see that that peak happens
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达到的锋点，你会发现要达到这个锋点
03:08
a couple of years later in boys relative to girls,
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男孩会相对比女孩要慢几年
03:11
and that's probably because boys go through puberty
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这大概是因为男孩平均要比女孩
03:13
a couple of years later than girls on average,
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晚那么几年经历青春期
03:15
and then during adolescence, there's a significant decline
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在青春期阶段，大脑灰质
03:19
in gray matter volume in prefrontal cortex.
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在前额叶皮层会出现一个明显的下降
03:21
Now that might sound bad, but actually this is
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听起来似乎有些不安
03:23
a really important developmental process, because
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但这确实一个极其重要的发育阶段
03:26
gray matter contains cell bodies and connections
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因为大脑灰质包涵了细胞体
03:31
between cells, the synapses, and this decline
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还有细胞之间的联系，也就是突触
03:34
in gray matter volume during prefrontal cortex
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在前额叶皮层到了一个需要对突触进行修剪
03:37
is thought to correspond to synaptic pruning,
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去除掉一些不必要的突触的这一阶段
03:40
the elimination of unwanted synapses.
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大脑灰质也就会减少
03:42
This is a really important process. It's partly dependent
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这是非常关键的阶段
03:45
on the environment that the animal or the human is in,
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一部分取决于动物或人类居住的环境
03:48
and the synapses that are being used are strengthened,
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那些有价值的突触会茁壮发育
03:52
and synapses that aren't being used
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而在那个特定的环境里
03:54
in that particular environment are pruned away.
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那些没什么存在必要的突触则会被剔除掉
03:56
You can think of it a bit like pruning a rosebush.
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你可以把它当成是修剪盆栽
03:58
You prune away the weaker branches so that
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把那些奄奄一息的枯枝败叶修剪掉
04:01
the remaining, important branches, can grow stronger,
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这样那些剩下的，重要的枝干，就会茁壮成长
04:04
and this process, which effectively fine-tunes brain tissue
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这个会根据物种及环境不同
04:08
according to the species-specific environment,
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而高效调整大脑组织的过程
04:11
is happening in prefrontal cortex and in other brain regions
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就是在人类的青春期阶段
04:14
during the period of human adolescence.
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在前额叶皮层和其他大脑区域进行的
04:17
So a second line of inquiry that we use to track changes
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我们用来记录青春期大脑变化
04:21
in the adolescent brain is using functional MRI
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的第二轮调查，就是用功能磁共振成像
04:24
to look at changes in brain activity across age.
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来探究不同年龄大脑活动的变化情况
04:28
So I'll just give you an example from my lab.
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这里我举个发生在我实验室里的例子。
04:29
So in my lab, we're interested in the social brain, that is
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在我的实验室里，我们对社会大脑很感兴趣，
04:33
the network of brain regions that we use to understand
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就是我们与他人沟通交流
04:36
other people and to interact with other people.
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的大脑区域网络。
04:39
So I like to show a photograph of a soccer game
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我会给你们看一张足球赛的图片
04:43
to illustrate two aspects of how your social brains work.
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跟你们分析下社会性大脑工作时的两个方面
04:47
So this is a soccer game. (Laughter)
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这就是一场足球赛。（笑声）
04:48
Michael Owen has just missed a goal, and he's lying
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迈克尔欧文刚刚的射门没有命中，
04:51
on the ground, and the first aspect of the social brain
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所以他躺在地上，这张图片诠释了
04:54
that this picture really nicely illustrates is how automatic
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社交情绪反应是多么自动自觉的
04:57
and instinctive social emotional responses are,
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这是社会脑的第一个层面，
05:00
so within a split second of Michael Owen missing this goal,
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所以就在欧文没射中球门的那一瞬间，
05:03
everyone is doing the same thing with their arms
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每个人的手都是同样的动作
05:05
and the same thing with their face, even Michael Owen
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同样的表情，甚至欧文也是这样
05:06
as he slides along the grass, is doing the same thing
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在他划过草地时，他也是同样的手势
05:08
with his arms, and presumably has a similar
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估计他的面部表情也差不多
05:11
facial expression, and the only people who don't
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而唯一不为所动的那个人，
05:13
are the guys in yellow at the back — (Laughs) —
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就是背后穿黄色球衣的了——（笑声）——
05:16
and I think they're on the wrong end of the stadium,
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我觉得他们是场上占不到什么优势的人
05:19
and they're doing another social emotional response
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他们有着不一样的社交情绪反应
05:21
that we all instantly recognize, and that's the second aspect
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我们能马上认出来，这就是社会脑的第二个层面
05:23
of the social brain that this picture really nicely illustrates,
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也在图片上很好地表现出来
05:27
how good we are at reading other people's behavior,
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它揭示了我们对他人行为的理解程度
05:30
their actions, their gestures, their facial expressions,
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按照潜在的情绪和精神状态
05:33
in terms of their underlying emotions and mental states.
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解读他人的举动，他人的手势，还有他们的面部表情
05:37
So you don't have to ask any of these guys.
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所以你不用去问他们中的任何一人。
05:39
You have a pretty good idea of what they're feeling
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就能对这个时候他们的情感和思想
05:41
and thinking at this precise moment in time.
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有一个颇为准确的理解。
05:44
So that's what we're interested in looking at in my lab.
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这就是我的实验室所感兴趣的事。
05:46
So in my lab, we bring adolescents and adults into the lab
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在实验室里，我们召集了青少年和成年人
05:49
to have a brain scan, we give them some kind of task
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进行大脑扫描，我们给他们分配任务
05:52
that involves thinking about other people, their minds,
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涉及了他们对他人，自己的思想，自己的精神状态，
05:55
their mental states, their emotions, and one of the findings
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以及对自己的情绪的思考
05:58
that we've found several times now, as have other labs
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和其他实验室一样，目前我们多次发现的一点是
06:01
around the world, is part of the prefrontal cortex called
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前额叶皮层的一个部分
06:04
medial prefrontal cortex, which is shown in blue on the slide,
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叫做内侧前额叶皮质，就是蓝色那部分，
06:07
and it's right in the middle of prefrontal cortex
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就在前额叶皮质的正中间
06:10
in the midline of your head.
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在脑袋的正中央。
06:12
This region is more active in adolescents when they make
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当青少年在做社交决定以及考虑他人时
06:16
these social decisions and think about other people
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他们大脑的这个区域
06:18
than it is in adults, and this is actually a meta-analysis
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要比成年人还要活跃，这其实是世界上其他实验室
06:20
of nine different studies in this area from labs around
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在这个方面的九个不同研究的荟萃分析
06:24
the world, and they all show the same thing, that activity
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他们都表明了一样的结果，
06:26
in this medial prefrontal cortex area decreases
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就是内侧前额叶皮质的活跃度，
06:30
during the period of adolescence.
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会在青春期阶段逐渐减小。
06:32
And we think that might be because adolescents and adults
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我们猜测可能是青少年和成年人
06:35
use a different mental approach, a different
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在做社交决定时，有着不同的心理活动
06:37
cognitive strategy, to make social decisions,
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不同的认知策略，
06:41
and one way of looking at that is to do behavioral studies
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研究这个的方法之一就是采用行为研究
06:44
whereby we bring people into the lab and we give them
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我们把人召集进实验室
06:46
some kind of behavioral task, and I'll just give you
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分配给他们一些行动任务，
06:49
another example of the kind of task that we use in my lab.
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我给你们举个我们实验室的任务的例子。
06:52
So imagine that you're the participant in one of our
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想象一下你是我们实验的参与人员之一
06:55
experiments. You come into the lab,
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你进到这个实验室，
06:56
you see this computerized task.
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你看到这个电脑程序任务。
06:59
In this task, you see a set of shelves.
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在这个任务中，你看到几排的架子。
07:02
Now, there are objects on these shelves, on some of them,
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现在架子上有些摆上了物品，
07:05
and you'll notice there's a guy standing behind the set
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你会发现有个人站在架子后面，
07:08
of shelves, and there are some objects that he can't see.
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而且有些物品他是看不到的。
07:11
They're occluded, from his point of view, with a kind of
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他们被遮住了，从这个角度看
07:13
gray piece of wood.
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被灰色的木板遮住了。
07:16
This is the same set of shelves from his point of view.
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从他的角度看，这是同样的架子。
07:20
Notice that there are only some objects that he can see,
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但要注意，他只看得到一些物品，
07:23
whereas there are many more objects that you can see.
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但你却能看到更多的。
07:25
Now your task is to move objects around.
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你的任务就是去移动这些物品。
07:28
The director, standing behind the set of shelves,
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引导人员，将站在架子后面，
07:30
is going to direct you to move objects around,
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引导你去移动这些物品，
07:33
but remember, he's not going to ask you to move objects
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但是要记住，他不会叫你去移动那些
07:35
that he can't see. This introduces a really interesting
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他看不到的物品。这就引出了一个很有意思的情况
07:38
condition whereby there's a kind of conflict
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在你的角度和引导员的角度之间
07:41
between your perspective and the director's perspective.
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会有一种冲突。
07:44
So imagine he tells you to move the top truck left.
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假设他叫你去把上面的火车往左移。
07:47
There are three trucks there. You're going to instinctively
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但那儿有三辆火车，你会很自然地
07:49
go for the white truck, because that's the top truck
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去移动白色那辆，因为从你的角度看
07:51
from your perspective, but then you have to remember,
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它就是上面的火车，但你得知道
07:54
"Oh, he can't see that truck, so he must mean
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“噢，他看不见那辆火车，所以
07:56
me to move the blue truck," which is the top truck
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他是想我去移动蓝色的，”就是他的角度
07:59
from his perspective. Now believe it or not,
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最上面的那辆。现在信不信由你，
08:01
normal, healthy, intelligent adults like you make errors
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像你们一样正常健康聪明的成年人都会犯错
08:04
about 50 percent of the time on that kind of trial.
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在这种试验中，犯错几率高达50%。
08:08
They move the white truck instead of the blue truck.
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他们会移动白色那辆，而不是蓝色那辆
08:10
So we give this kind of task to adolescents and adults,
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话说我们给青少年还有成年人分配了这种任务，
08:14
and we also have a control condition
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我们有条件控制
08:15
where there's no director and instead we give people a rule.
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一个是没有引导员，另一个是给他们定规则。
08:19
We tell them, okay, we're going to do exactly the same thing
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我们告诉他们，好吧，我们会做一样的事情
08:21
but this time there's no director. Instead you've got to
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这次没有引导员。
08:24
ignore objects with the dark gray background.
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相反，你得忽略那些灰色格子。
08:27
You'll see that this is exactly the same condition, only
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你会发现其实条件是完全一样的，
08:30
in the no-director condition they just have to remember
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要记住没有引导员这一情况
08:33
to apply this somewhat arbitrary rule, whereas
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只有规定的要求，
08:36
in the director condition, they have to remember
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但在有引导员的情况下，他们则需要
08:38
to take into account the director's perspective
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考虑引导员的视野角度
08:41
in order to guide their ongoing behavior.
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这样才能理解引导员的指令。
08:45
Okay, so if I just show you the percentage errors
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这个就是在我们较大规模的研究中
08:48
in a large developmental study we did,
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得出的犯错比率，
08:51
this is in a study ranging from age seven to adulthood,
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这是从七岁到成年的一个研究，
08:54
and what you're going to see is the percentage errors
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你们接下来会看到的就是成人组
08:55
in the adult group in both conditions,
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在两种条件下的错误比率，
08:57
so the gray is the director condition, and you see
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灰色的就是有引导员的情况，
09:01
that our intelligent adults are making errors about 50 percent
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你会发现我们聪明的成年人的错误率约是50%
09:03
of the time, whereas they make far fewer errors
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但是他们在没有引导员在场的情况下。
09:06
when there's no director present, when they just have
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错误率会低很多，他们只需
09:08
to remember that rule of ignoring the gray background.
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记住去忽略灰色格子这一规定。
09:11
Developmentally, these two conditions develop
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相应地，这两种条件的情况
09:14
in exactly the same way. Between late childhood
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发展几乎是一样的，在后儿童期
09:17
and mid-adolescence, there's an improvement,
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还有中青春期，都是有所提升，
09:19
in other words a reduction of errors, in both of these trials,
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换句话说，就是在这些试验中，在这些条件下，
09:22
in both of these conditions.
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错误的几率会随年龄增加而减少。
09:23
But it's when you compare the last two groups,
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但当你比较最后两组实验时，
09:26
the mid-adolescent group and the adult group
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中青春期组和成年组
09:28
where things get really interesting, because there, there is
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事情会变得有趣很多
09:31
no continued improvement in the no-director condition.
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因为在没有引导员的情况下，也没有提升的趋势。
09:34
In other words, everything you need to do in order to
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也就是说，涉及到记住规则并应用它所需要的一切
09:37
remember the rule and apply it seems to be fully developed
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似乎都在中青春期已经尘埃落定了
09:39
by mid-adolescence, whereas in contrast,
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但是相反地，
09:42
if you look at the last two gray bars, there's still
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如果你去看两条灰色的图柱
09:44
a significant improvement in the director condition
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在有引导员的条件下，在中青春期和成年组之间
09:47
between mid-adolescence and adulthood, and what
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还是有明显的提升的
09:50
this means is that the ability to take into account someone
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这就意味着，从他人角度考虑出发
09:53
else's perspective in order to guide ongoing behavior,
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从而运用到实践中的能力，
09:57
which is something, by the way, that we do in everyday life all
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而这也是我们日常生活随处可见的，
09:59
the time, is still developing in mid-to-late adolescence.
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这一能力，在青春期的中后期仍在发育中。
10:03
So if you have a teenage son or a daughter and you
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所以如果你有一个儿子或女儿出于青春期
10:06
sometimes think they have problems taking other people's
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你有时觉得他们在考虑他人感受时做得不够好
10:08
perspectives, you're right. They do. And this is why.
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那么你是对的，的确是这样，这就是原因。
10:12
So we sometimes laugh about teenagers.
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所以我们有时会讽刺青少年。
10:16
They're parodied, sometimes even demonized in the media
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说他们没什么大脑，有时会在媒体上
10:19
for their kind of typical teenage behavior. They take risks,
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丑化他们那种典型的青春期行为，
10:23
they're sometimes moody, they're very self-conscious.
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他们爱冒险，情绪阴晴不定，非常自我。
10:26
I have a really nice anecdote from a friend of mine
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我从我朋友那儿听到一个很有趣的故事
10:28
who said that the thing he noticed most
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他说这是他在女儿们
10:31
about his teenage daughters before and after puberty
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青春期前后经常见到的事
10:34
was their level of embarrassment in front of him.
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就是在他面前的尴尬程度。
10:36
So, he said, "Before puberty, if my two daughters
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她说，“青春期前，如果我的两个女儿
10:39
were messing around in a shop, I'd say, 'Hey,
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在商店里胡闹，我会说，嘿
10:41
stop messing around and I'll sing your favorite song,'
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别闹了，我给你们唱你们最喜欢的歌，”
10:43
and instantly they'd stop messing around and he'd sing
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然后她们立即安分守己，听他唱歌
10:44
their favorite song. After puberty, that became the threat.
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但青春期过后，唱歌成了威胁。
10:48
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
10:50
The very notion of their dad singing in public
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他们爸爸在公众场合唱歌这一举动
10:53
was enough to make them behave.
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足以震慑他们的调皮。
10:56
So people often ask,
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所以人们经常问，
10:57
"Well, is adolescence a kind of recent phenomenon?
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“那么，青春期是一种新生的现象吗？
11:00
Is it something we've invented recently in the West?"
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是西方国家近几年才发现的吗？”
11:02
And actually, the answer is probably not. There are lots
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其实，答案不然。历史上，
11:04
of descriptions of adolescence in history that sound
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有过很多青春期的描写
11:08
very similar to the descriptions we use today.
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与今天那些描述十分相似。
11:10
So there's a famous quote by Shakespeare from "The Winter's Tale"
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莎士比亚的《冬天的故事》里有这么一段
11:14
where he describes adolescence as follows:
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他是这么描述青春期的：
11:17
"I would there were no age between ten and
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“孩子与成人之间不再有差别
11:20
three-and-twenty, or that youth would sleep out the rest;
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年轻人要么就去安眠；
11:23
for there is nothing in the between but getting wenches
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因为他们会空虚到
11:25
with child, wronging the ancientry, stealing, fighting." (Laughter)
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与孩子滥交、做出伤风败俗的偷窃和斗殴。”（笑声）
11:31
He then goes on to say, "Having said that, would any
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他接着说，“话虽如此，但除了那些十几二十岁
11:36
but these boiled brains of nineteen and two-and-twenty
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的脑残少年，还有谁
11:39
hunt in this weather?" (Laughter)
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会在这种天气出来打猎啊？”（笑声）
11:42
So almost 400 years ago, Shakespeare was portraying
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所以约在400年前，莎士比亚
11:44
adolescents in a very similar light to the light that we
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描述的青少年就十分类似我们今天所指的青少年
11:47
portray them in today, but today we try to understand
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但如今我们尝试根据他们，
11:51
their behavior in terms of the underlying changes
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大脑那些看不到的变化
11:54
that are going on in their brain.
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去理解他们的行为。
11:56
So for example, take risk-taking. We know that adolescents
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举个例子，爱冒险。我们知道青少年
11:59
have a tendency to take risks. They do.
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有爱冒险的倾向，真的有的。
12:02
They take more risks than children or adults,
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他们会比儿童或成人更爱冒险，
12:04
and they are particularly prone to taking risks
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而且在和朋友在一起的时候
12:07
when they're with their friends. There's an important drive
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会更有冒险倾向
12:10
to become independent from one's parents
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在青春期会有个明显的驱动力
12:12
and to impress one's friends in adolescence.
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就是远离父母争取独立和在朋友间出类拔萃。
12:15
But now we try to understand that in terms of
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但现在我们根据他们大脑某部分叫边缘系统的发育
12:18
the development of a part of their brain called the limbic system,
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尝试去理解他们，
12:21
so I'm going to show you the limbic system in red
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我会在背后的幻灯片里
12:23
in the slide behind me, and also on this brain.
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给你们看下红色的边缘系统，这个大脑里也有。
12:25
So the limbic system is right deep inside the brain,
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边缘系统就在大脑的深处，
12:28
and it's involved in things like emotion processing
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它涉及了情感处理还有奖励感处理
12:32
and reward processing. It gives you the rewarding feeling
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在你做有趣的事情时，像冒险
12:35
out of doing fun things, including taking risks.
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它会产生一种收获的感觉。
12:38
It gives you the kick out of taking risks.
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它让你在冒险中产生快感。
12:41
And this region, the regions within the limbic system,
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这部分区域，在边缘系统里的区域，
12:44
have been found to be hypersensitive to the rewarding
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相比成年人，对青少年的冒险产生的收获感
12:47
feeling of risk-taking in adolescents compared with adults,
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具有很高的敏感性，
12:51
and at the very same time, the prefrontal cortex,
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与此同时，前额叶皮层，
12:55
which you can see in blue in the slide here,
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在幻灯片显示蓝色的地方，
12:57
which stops us taking excessive risks,
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会阻止我们过多地参与冒险，
13:00
is still very much in development in adolescents.
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但在青春期还是出于发育阶段。
13:03
So brain research has shown that the adolescent brain
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关于大脑的研究表明青少年的大脑
13:07
undergoes really quite profound development,
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经历了意义深远的的发育，
13:10
and this has implications for education, for rehabilitation,
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这对教育，康复和介入治疗方面，就有所启示了，
13:14
and intervention. The environment, including teaching,
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环境，包括教学，
13:18
can and does shape the developing adolescent brain,
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能塑造青少年大脑的发育，
13:22
and yet it's only relatively recently that we have been
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而且是到相当近的一段时期
13:24
routinely educating teenagers in the West.
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在西方才对青少年有常规的教育。
13:27
All four of my grandparents, for example, left school
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就像，我的四个祖父母
13:31
in their early adolescence. They had no choice.
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在青春期早期就辍学了，他们也是没办法的。
13:34
And that's still the case for many, many teenagers
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目前世界上很多地方还是存在这样的情况
13:37
around the world today. Forty percent of teenagers
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百分之四十的青少年
13:40
don't have access to secondary school education.
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没有机会进入学校接受初中教育。
13:45
And yet, this is a period of life where the brain is
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而且，这个时期，是大脑处于
13:47
particularly adaptable and malleable.
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特别有可塑性的时期。
13:50
It's a fantastic opportunity for learning and creativity.
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是学习和培养创新的绝好时机。
13:54
So what's sometimes seen as the problem
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所以那些常被认为是青少年的问题的情况
13:56
with adolescents — heightened risk-taking, poor impulse
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高度爱冒险，易冲动不受控制
13:59
control, self-consciousness — shouldn't be stigmatized.
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自我为中心，这些都不应受到指责。
14:02
It actually reflects changes in the brain that provide
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它实际是反映了大脑的变化
14:05
an excellent opportunity for education
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为教育，社会发展
14:08
and social development. Thank you. (Applause)
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提供了很好的机遇。谢谢。（掌声）
14:13
(Applause)
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（掌声）
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sarah-Jayne Blakemore - Cognitive NeuroscientistSarah-Jayne Blakemore studies the social brain -- the network of brain regions involved in understanding other people -- and how it develops in adolescents.
Why you should listen
Remember being a teenager? Rocked internally with hormones, outwardly with social pressures, you sometimes wondered what was going on in your head. So does Sarah-Jayne Blakemore. And what she and others in her field are finding is: The adolescent brain really is different.
New brain imaging research and clever experiments are revealing how the cortex develops -- the executive part of the brain that handles things like planning, self-awareness, analysis of consequences and behavioral choices. It turns out that these regions develop more slowly during adolescence, and in fascinating ways that relate to risk-taking, peer pressure and learning.
Which leads to a bigger question: How can we better target education to speak to teenagers' growing, changing brains?
Sarah-Jayne Blakemore | Speaker | TED.com