Human Growth and Development / Unit 9 HGD 1205 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Prefrontal Cortex and Limbic System
The idea
Two systems matter most in the adolescent brain. The prefrontal cortex, in the frontal lobe, handles executive function: rational decisions, planning, organization and inhibition. The limbic system includes the amygdala, which processes emotion; the hippocampus, which forms memories; the thalamus, which relays sensory information; and the hypothalamus, which controls hormones. The connections between the prefrontal cortex and the limbic system are still maturing in adolescence.
In practice
A slighted fifteen-year-old yelling at a friend before weighing the consequences, and regretting it an hour later.
Where people slip
Researchers link adolescents' difficulty with impulse control and emotion regulation to this maturing connection; Steinberg and Scott called the result psychosocial immaturity. Exam items pair each structure with its function: the amygdala with emotion, the hippocampus with memory, the hypothalamus with hormones, and the prefrontal cortex with planning and inhibition.
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