Impulsive Nature of Youth

In this fascinating keynote speech, Sarah-Jayne Blakemore discusses adolescent brain development. While the majority of scientists used to argue that most brain development took place in the early years of life, advancements in technology have enabled neuroscientists to discover that the adolescent years in one's life play a more pivotal role in one's development. Modern technology allows scientists to look inside the brain at different phases of life to understand the structural changes that take place over time.

Blakemore's studies of adolescent brain development show that puberty is a crucial period in one's life where he or she develops self-awareness and learns how to act around other people and how to appropriately react to other individuals in different social settings. The impulsive and often inexplicable behavior of teenagers is directly related to the development their brains are undergoing.