Question

Xavier, 16, invites a group of his high school friends to swim in a neighbor's pool late at night while that neighbor is away. They climb the fence and jump in, playing wildly and loudly in the water. Just a few minutes later, the police arrive. How does adolescent brain development help explain Xavier's poor decision making?

A. His prefrontal cortex is underdeveloped.
B. His amygdala is underdeveloped.
C. The regions regulating his emotions are underdeveloped.
D. His limbic system is underdeveloped

Answer 1

Answer:A - His prefrontal cortex is underdeveloped.

Explanation: For Xavier to be able to make such a decision as to invite his friends to swim in his neighbors pool while we was out at night shows that his prefrontal cortex is underdeveloped.

Prefrontal cortex is the frontal part of the frontal lobe in the brain. This part of the brain is responsible for some of our behaviours like decision making, social behaviour moderator and personality expressions.

This is to say that Xavier's behaviour was controlled by his prefrontal cortex that is still developing.