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(Ivanhoe Newswire) Any parent knows all too well that young adolescents care a lot about what others think of them. Previous research into this area has relied on reports by teenagers themselves.
A new study authored by researchers at the University of Oregon and the University of California Los Angeles eliminated the potential bias of self-reports by using brain scans to look at the neural systems that support individuals' perceptions of themselves. These brain-mapping techniques shed new light on this complex period of social development.
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During the brain scans, 12 early adolescents, or tweens, aged 11 to 13 years, and 12 young adults, aged 22 to 30 years, responded to researchers' questions about whether short phrases (such as "I am popular") described them, and whether they believed others (mothers, best friends, classmates) thought these phrases described them, too. The researchers then examined activity in the brain that occurred when the participants gave their responses.
The tweens tended to see themselves in ways that depend more on what they believe others think about them. And these othersincluding parents and friendsmay have more influence in some areas than in others, with moms having more sway over how the tweens view their academic abilities, but best friends exerting influence over how tweens perceive their own social skills.
"These findings provide a novel form of evidence confirming the sensitivity of adolescents to what they believe others think of them, especially parents and peers," Jennifer H. Pfeifer, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Oregon and the lead author was quoted as saying. She continued, "More importantly, they suggest that being able to see others' perspectives on oneself may be particularly critical to development in adolescence. As a result, individuals who lack this social cognitive skill (including those with autism spectrum disorders) may face significant obstacles."
SOURCE: Child Development, July/August 2009
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