Teens have a reputation for making some not-

Question

so-smart decisions. Researchers have blamed

those poor decisions on the immaturity of a
teen’s prefrontal cortex. That is the part of the
brain involved in making plans and decisions.
But scientists now find the answer may be
simpler: the allure1

of rewards. Rewards, even
small ones, entice teens more than they do
adults.
And, perhaps surprisingly, teens tend to
continue doing things they once found
rewarding, even after the actual payoff is long
gone. Both findings come from a new study
by researchers at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.
Psychologist Zachary Roper and his team worked with two groups of volunteers: 13- to 16-year
olds and 20- to 35-year-old adults. Each volunteer had to play a game of sorts. During a training
phase, a computer displayed six circles, each a different color. The players had to find the red
or green circle. These targets had either a horizontal or vertical line inside. The remaining
circles had lines at other angles. When the participant found the correct target, they had to
press one of two keys on a keyboard. One key would report they had found the vertical line.
The other reported finding a horizontal line.
When a volunteer hit the right key, the screen flashed the amount of the reward they had
earned. For some volunteers, green circles provided a large (10-cent) reward and red circles
provided a small (2-cent) reward. For other volunteers, the amounts were reversed, with red
[1]

1. Allure (noun) attraction, appeal

1

circles worth more. All other colors had no reward.
By the end of this training, volunteers had learned the value of each color. But they weren’t
aware that they had, notes Iowa’s Jatin Vaidya. When the scientists asked the players about the
value of red versus green circles, both teens and adults had no awareness that a circle’s color
had any effect on how much they had earned during any given trial.
After this training ended, it was time to begin testing in earnest.2

The scientists informed the

volunteers they had a new target. Each had to report the orientation3

of the line inside a blue
diamond. Again, groups of six symbols appeared on a computer screen. Only one was a
diamond. The other five were still circles. In some trials, one of those circles was red or green.
In other trials, there were no red or green circles.
The recruits were told to answer as quickly as possible. And for this phase of the experiment,
no additional money would be earned.
The researchers now measured how long it took people to find the diamond and record their
answers.
When no red or green circles were among the onscreen options, both adults and teens
responded quickly. But when a red or green circle showed up, both groups initially took a bit
longer. Adults, though, quickly stopped paying attention to the colored circles. Their response
times sped up.
Teens reacted differently. They took longer to respond whenever a red or green circle showed
up. Their response times never sped up. Their attention still was drawn to the previously valued
circles — even though the shapes no longer brought any reward. Clearly, the red and green
circles were distracting teens from their objective.
Roper’s team reported the findings September 10 in Psychological Science.
“The study demonstrates that the attention of adolescents4

is especially drawn to rewarding
information,” says Brian Anderson. A psychologist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore,
Md., he was not involved with the study. These data may help explain why teens engage in risky
behavior, he says.
Some behaviors, such as texting or using social media, trigger the brain’s reward system. Once
the teenage brain has linked a behavior to that reward, it continues to seek the reward again
and again. That’s why teens are likely to opt for the reward of social media when they should be
[5]

[10]

2. The phrase "in earnest" means that someone is sincere or passionate in their convictions.
3. direction, as in vertical or horizontal
4. An adolescent is a young person who is in the transitional stage from a child into an adult.

2

"The Distracted Teenage Brain" by Alison Pearce Stevens from societyforscience.org. Copyright ©
2014 by Society for Science. Reprinted with permission, all rights reserved. This article is intended
only for single-classroom use by teachers. For rights to republish Science News for Students articles

in assessments, course packs, or textbooks, visit: httn-
republish.

Unless otherwise noted, this content is licensed under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license

studying. Or why they respond to texts while driving.
How can someone overcome their brain’s attempts to distract? Vaidya suggests physically
removing distractions whenever possible. Shut down the phone when driving or disconnect
from Wi-Fi while doing homework. When distractions are not readily available, it will be easier
to focus attention on the things that matter most. Like arriving home safely.

Answer 1

This article, titled "The Distracted Teenage Brain," discusses recent research regarding the cognitive behaviors of teenagers, particularly in relation to decision-making and the allure of rewards. Here's a summary of its key points:

1. Teens and Decision-Making: It is commonly believed that teenagers make poor decisions due to the immaturity of the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that governs planning and decision-making. However, new research suggests that the draw of rewards may play a more significant role.

2. Researchers and Methodology: A study conducted by researchers from the University of Iowa, led by psychologist Zachary Roper, involved two groups of participants: teens aged 13-16 and adults aged 20-35. Participants engaged in a game where they identified colored circles (red or green) with specific line orientations for rewards.

3. Training Phase: In this phase, participants learned the reward values associated with different colored circles without realizing how their choices affected their earnings.

4. Testing Phase: In a subsequent phase, participants were required to spot a blue diamond among various circles, with the colored circles from the training phase reappearing. Notably, there were no rewards for this task, yet their previous experience influenced their attention.

5. Findings on Attention and Response Times: While adults quickly disregarded the irrelevant colored circles, teens remained distracted, taking longer to respond whenever red or green circles were present, indicating persistent attentional bias towards past rewards.

6. Implications for Teen Behavior: The study highlights that adolescents are highly influenced by rewarding stimuli, which may help explain tendencies for risky behaviors, such as texting while driving or engaging with social media instead of focusing on studying.

7. Recommendations for Managing Distractions: To overcome distractions, researchers recommend actively removing potential interruptions, such as turning off phones while driving or disconnecting from Wi-Fi during homework sessions.

The article concludes that understanding the attraction of rewards on the teenage brain could provide insight into why teenagers might prioritize immediate gratification over important responsibilities.

Answer 2

RESOURCE: CommonLit Article “The Distracted Teenage Brain”

TOPIC/OBJECTIVE:

DRIVING QUESTION: How can I identify my claim and use textual evidence to support it?

NOTES (this is where you type the evidence you will use to support your claim):

Central Idea: What is the central idea of this article?
SUMMARY (what were the main points of the article?):

Claim: Write your claim here

now answer fill this out please make it sound 8th grade and some some slang to it don't add ! because that's not how I sound and make it sound a little ganglish

Answer 3

NOTES

Evidence to Support Claim:

1. Teens get super distracted by rewards, even if they aren't getting anything for it anymore. The article says, "Their attention still was drawn to the previously valued circles — even though the shapes no longer brought any reward."
2. Adults quickly ignore the colors, but teens don’t. It mentions, "Teens reacted differently. They took longer to respond whenever a red or green circle showed up."
3. The study shows that teens are more likely to chase rewards, which explains risky behavior like texting while driving. The article states, "These data may help explain why teens engage in risky behavior."

Central Idea

The central idea of this article is that teens are more easily distracted by rewards compared to adults, which can lead to poor decision-making and risky behaviors.

SUMMARY

The main points of the article talk about how researchers found that teens make decisions based on the allure of rewards rather than being just immature. A study showed that when teens were tested, they couldn't ignore colors associated with past rewards, even when those rewards weren’t available anymore. Adults were quick to ignore those distractions, while teens took longer to respond. This behavior helps explain why teens often make risky choices like using their phones while driving or getting caught up in social media instead of focusing on important stuff.

Claim

My claim is that teens’ brains are wired to chase after rewards, making them more prone to distractions and risky decisions than adults.

Answer 4

make it sound 8th grade and add some slang and ganglish

Answer 5

NOTES

Evidence to Support Claim:

1. Teens get super distracted by rewards, even if they ain't getting anything for it anymore. The article says, "Their attention still was drawn to the previously valued circles — even though the shapes no longer brought any reward."
2. Adults quickly ignore the colors, but teens don’t. It mentions, "Teens reacted differently. They took longer to respond whenever a red or green circle showed up."
3. The study shows that teens are more likely to chase rewards, which explains risky behavior like texting while driving. The article states, "These data may help explain why teens engage in risky behavior."

Central Idea

The main idea of this article is that teens can’t resist chasing after rewards, which makes them way more distracted and likely to make dumb choices compared to adults.

SUMMARY

So, the article talks about how some researchers found that teens are all about those rewards, and it messes with their decision-making. They did this experiment where teens had to look for colored circles that used to give them rewards, and even when there was no cash on the line, teens couldn’t help but focus on them. Meanwhile, adults just ignored those circles and got on with it. This whole thing helps explain why teens end up doing risky stuff, like texting while driving or getting sucked into social media instead of, you know, handling their biz.

Claim

My claim is that teens' brains are totally wired to chase after rewards, which makes them way more distracted and likely to make bad choices than adults.

Answer 6

topic? please

Answer 7

Topic

The topic of the article "The Distracted Teenage Brain" is the impact of the teenage brain's attraction to rewards on decision-making and behavior, particularly how it contributes to distractions and risky choices.