A new study offers further evidence that as children grow, the brain changes to suit self-reflection. And that could lead to ramifications in addressing student behavior.
The study, published in the April 24 edition of the Journal of Neuroscience, used longitudinal fMRI testing on a group of 10-year-olds over the course of three years. Under fMRI, 27 children (18 girls, nine boys) were asked questions about academics and about themselves. Scans revealed that when children reflected about their own social interactions (the non-academic stuff), the prefrontal cortex of the brain lit up.
Now here's where it gets cool: As 10-year-olds age in the brutal march toward puberty, that same area of the brain increases in activity. In other words, as children grow older, their brains change to increase self-reflection.
