青少年的大腦與成年人的大腦有何不同?大綱
Teenagers are often portrayed as thrill-seekers, but research suggests their brains are wired to learn from their experiences, which makes them better prepared for adulthood.
青少年通常被認爲喜歡尋求刺激，不過有研究發現，他們的大腦善於從經驗中學習，爲他們走上社會作更好的準備。In a small study, they performed better than adults at a picture-based game and brain scans showed a higher level of brain activity.
在一項小研究中，他們在一個看圖遊戲中比成年人表現的更好，腦部掃描數據顯示大腦活動水平更高。The research team, from Harvard, Columbia and California universities, set out to test whether adolescents' typical reward-seeking behaviour could also make them better at learning from good or bad outcomes.
來自哈佛大學、哥倫比亞大學和加利福尼亞大學的研究團隊決定通過測試以驗證，是否青少年典型的尋求獎賞的行爲，會在他們從好或壞的結果中學習時更有幫助。
They asked 41 teenagers, aged 13 to 17, and 31 adults, aged 20 to 30, to play a game based on pictures while scanning some of each group's brains using MRI.
他們邀請了年齡在13到17歲之間的41名青少年，以及年齡在20到39歲之間的31名成年人，來參加一個圖片遊戲，同時使用核磁共振成像技術來掃描每組中部分人員的大腦。
In the game, the teenagers got more answers correct and memory tests showed they were also better at remembering the detail of why they chose the answers they did.
在遊戲中，青少年組答對的題目更多，同時記憶力測試顯示，他們在記住自己爲何要選擇某個答案的細節方面表現更好。The study said this meant they were better at learning from their experiences - which would equip them well for leaving home and gaining independence as adults.
研究指出，這意味着他們能更好的從經驗中學習--作好充分準備，以便在成年後能離家獨立。When they looked at the teenagers' brain scans, the researchers found activity in two areas of the brain - the hippocampus and the striatum - whereas adults mainly used their striatum.
當研究人員查看青少年的大腦掃描數據時，他們發現大腦有兩個區域在活動--海馬體和紋狀體，而成年人的大腦主要使用紋狀體。They said these connections between two important parts of the growing brain explained why they performed better.
研究人員表示，這種正在發育的大腦中兩個重要部分的連接，解釋了爲何青少年表現的更好。Juliet Davidow, a psychology researcher at Harvard University, said the findings could inspire new ways of teaching teenagers.
哈佛大學的心理學研究員朱麗葉·達維多表示，這項研究能爲青少年教學帶來新的啓發。"If you frame something positively, it could be the case that adolescents will remember things about the learning experience better. In everyday life, they're paying attention to their environment in a way that is different from adults."
“如果你構造出積極的事物，可能出現的情況就是，青少年將更好的記住學習經驗相關的東西。在日常生活中，他們正在以與成年人不同的方式關注着周圍的環境。”
