Neuroscientist to discuss teen brain development
Contact: Kay Hyatt at (207) 581-2761
ORONO, Maine — How many frustrated parents have asked their teen-agers, “What in the world were you thinking?” Well, the kids probably weren’t thinking, at least not in the way adults reason. They might not have the capacity, according to cognitive neuroscientist Herbert J. Weingartner, Shibles Distinguished Visiting Professor in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Maine.
Weingartner, a clinical psychologist, will shed some light on the dilemma in a lecture, “Planning and Evaluation: Frontal & Prefrontal Lobe Functions,” scheduled for Wednesday, June 7, 11 a.m. in Room 202 Shibles Hall. These brain regions, still developing in adolescents, affect the ability to plan and evaluate behavior — to think things through and make judgments instead of being impulse driven. Because this developmental process is not complete, adolescents can be at a disadvantage in planning and controlling their lives, according to Weingartner.
An acclaimed researcher who has held top leadership positions at the National Institutes of Health, Weingartner also will ponder how adults, particularly educators, might be helpful in providing more direction.