The Teenage Brain is Physiologically Underdeveloped

I apologise, I did not explain what I meant fully. When I say it is not developed fully I do mean that this means that it is predetermined to be reckless. If a person partly loses the function of their legs then they are predetermined to fall, if the decision making part of the brain is not fully formed then they are predetermined to be reckless and to make questionable decisions. Development is not set in stone, of course, when someone reaches 18 they don't automatically become responsible but as I said before, evidence shows that in most teenagers recklessness is prone. And regarding the environment argument, well the only research that I have found for and against is anecdotal and I don't know about you but I don't feel that stories are suitable for debates. It's a simple game, yes, but the fact is that you agree that they took more risks. It does not necessarily solidly prove anything but it does seem to indicate that teenagers are reckless. And many respectable psychologists (including the ones who made this research) it does make sense. That may be the case however the puzzle was created for the purpose of that experiment and so I doubt that anyone had any previous experiences with it. Statistics for drunk driving would hardly prove anything as there is a much higher number of adults who can drive than there are teenagers. You can argue that the percentage would still provide evidence, though I would argue that the minority of teenagers that do drive are often the ones who are more responsible. It could be used, but this argument is not about elderly people or people with turrets. Then how do you explain teenagers or young people who grow up the same as their peers but do have better judgment? Their environment is the same. If the pre-frontal cortex can develop regardless of the environment then I think it does show that it is not the environment, but just the amount of time that is needed for the brain to further develop. Them finishing college can be nothing more than a coincidence. The scans show that their brain is not developed and you cannot prove that the brain develops when it needs to. That is not exactly true, in countries where teenagers have to fend for themselves they obviously do not live simple lives yet they are still more likely to be reckless. That argument is as flawed as saying that alcoholics (who have not had help) are not predetermined to drink just because there are alcoholics who can't get to alcohol and so don't drink. In some cultures and countries there simply aren't as many things to be reckless about. In America, for example, most of the teenagers have access to nearly anything. I'm not saying that they can have anything they want but what I mean is that things are available (e.g. cars, harmful substances). That is not the case at all, there are teenagers who are treated as adults and respected because they act like they are, not to be judgmental but a lot do not. There is always a need to adapt, it is basic survival, even something like crossing the road requires basic judgment skills but drive past a school and you'll see a bunch of teenagers who aren't even looking where they're walking.