PROM_DancingWithIpod_ParticipantHandout

P.R.O.M – a multifaceted series on
adolescent brain development
Dancing With My iPod – Everybody’s Doing It!
Technology's Influence on the Developing Brain
© 2009 REVOY  MaryAdele Revoy, MS  revoy@whoisrevoy.com  www.whoisrevoy.com 1
P.R.O.M
Practical. Researched. Organic. Materials & Methods.
Dancing With My iPod –
Everybody’s Doing It!
© 2009
Technology’s Influence
on the Developing Brain
The Evolution of the Tech Brain
© 2009

TV–the beginning
o Studies as far back as 1975 have shown a clear connection
that exposure to media violence increases the likelihood of
aggressive and violent behavior.
o 97% of homes had a TV by 1974; in 2001, households
averaged 2.4 TV sets.
o In 2004, 68% of U.S. 8‐18 yos and 33% of children from
birth to 6 yos had a TV in their bedrooms.
© 2009
o Children under the age of 6 spend more time watching TV
than they do playing outdoors.
o TV are the back drop to other media use.
Video Games
 Studies have linked violent video games to a host of additional
aggression‐related cognitive, emotional & behavioral
outcomes
 Can easily become addictive because they drive the brain’s
dopamine circuitry so they crave more & more
• Supports the idea & need of immediate gratification
© 2009
 Development of “video‐game syndrome”
 Video games, in moderation, may have some positive affects

Cell Phones & TXTNG
 Ease of e‐comm may be making teens less interested
in face‐to‐face communication, even with their
f i d d t i l ith th i f ilifriends, and certainly with their families
 Frequent use of handheld devices “makes kids fast
and sloppy”
 The development of “Sexting”
© 2009
 The development of “Sexting”
 Policy implications for talking while driving, texting
while driving, what’s next?
?4U U want 2 MIRL?
What does the following mean?
T-
200
F2F A3
BM&Y URSXY TMB
H2CUS SWAK
© 2009

iPods
 Is Apple taking over our
communication?communication?
From music for all the
people in the room to
your own private
© 2009
concert that can last for
days
Social
Networking
Read about my life…
© 2009

MisMatch.comMisMatch.com
© 2009
Green Living
Politicking
© 2009

It’s A Small World After All
http://www.imeem.com/simplysoulfull/music/V1msrfsA/disney_its_a_small_world_after_all/
© 2009
Adolescent Culture
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=eIabgPX14R4&feature=related
Why is it that drug addictsWhy is it that drug addicts
and computer aficionados
are both called users?
– Clifford Stoll, astronomer & author
© 2009

Brain Gap In Just One Generation
Digital Natives
(adolescents)
Digital Immigrants
(older adults)(adolescents)
 Never known a world
without computers, 24‐
hour TV news, Internet &
cell phones
 Neural networks are
d ti ll diff t
(older adults)
 Adults who come to the
digital work later in life
 Neural networks were laid
down when SOCIAL
(human) interaction was the
© 2009
dramatically different
 Establishing new social and
political network
norm
 Brains are busy adapting to
high technology
How does Technology
Impact Brain Development? part 1
Brain changes
• scientific evidence suggests that early & prolonged
technological exposure of a young brain may in some cases
never be reversed
• neural circuits that control the more traditional learning
methods are neglected and gradually diminish
• Pathways for human interaction and communication weaken
as customary one on one people skills atrophy
© 2009
as customary one‐on‐one people skills atrophy
Psychological Affects
• Loneliness, Confusion, Anxiety, Depression, Fatigue,
Addiction

How does Technology
Impact Brain Development? part 2
Attention Disorders
• hyperactivity, irritability, short attention spans
“Laziness of Thinking”
• “Fast information & instant communications is not
equated with deliberation … may produce a
© 2009
tendency toward shallow thinking. …It’s not going
to turn off the brain to thinking deeply and
thoughtfully about things, but it is going to make
that a little bit more difficult to do.”
Any positive impact on the brain?
Moderation can promote some positive skill development
• React more quickly to visual stimuli
I f f i i l l h• Improve many forms of attention, particularly the
ability to notice images in our peripheral vision
• Better ability to sift through large amounts of
information rapidly and decide what’s important and
what isn’t
• Mental filters basically learn how to shift into overdrive
• Will redefine how we measure IQ; average IQ scores
© 2009
• Will redefine how we measure IQ; average IQ scores
are steadily rising with the advancing digital culture &
ability to multitask without errors is improving
(Small & Vorgan, iBrain, p. 20‐21)

“TECHNO BRAIN BURNOUT”
Continuous Partial Attention = keeping tabs on everything while never
truly focusing on anything;   [defined by Linda Stone, software
developer];developer];
• everything everywhere is connected through our peripheral attention
• differs from multi‐tasking, wherein we have a purpose for each task
and we are tying to improve efficiency & productivity
Techno Brain Burnout = Brains not built to maintain such monitoring
(i.e. continuous partial attention) for extended time periods – this
becomes a unique type of brain strain [Gary Small in iBrain]
© 2009
Multi‐tasking exhaustion (chronic & intense multitasking) may delay
adequate development of the frontal cortex (areas that helps us get
“big picture”, delay gratification, reason abstractly and plan ahead)
Instant Gratification
 THEY WANT IT NOW!  ‐‐ Digital Natives  can multitask &
parallel process with ease
 Access to visual & auditory stimulation has programmed Access to visual & auditory stimulation has programmed
their brains to crave instant gratification
 Princeton University have found that our brains use
different regions to balance short‐term & long‐term
rewards
• “when we make decisions that instantly gratify our needs,
the brain’s emotional centers in limbic system take over
© 2009
• but these regions have trouble thinking ahead to the future,
and neural circuits in the brain’s centers of logic in the
frontal lobe and parietal cortex are required for us to put off
a reward” (Small & Vorgan, iBrain, p.25)

H D YHow Do You
Rate?
© 2009
It has become appallingly
obvious that our technology
has exceeded our humanity.
‐ Albert Einstein
© 2009

“Screen Time Does Not Develop Social Skills”
TRUE or FALSETRUE or FALSE
What are the SOCIAL SKILLS we want them to know?
© 2009
“Emoticons ‐ Show your friends
how you really feel.”
Tongue
Sticking
Out
:-P
Out

PROM_DancingWithIpod_ParticipantHandout

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (18)

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (17)

Similar to PROM_DancingWithIpod_ParticipantHandout

Similar to PROM_DancingWithIpod_ParticipantHandout (20)

PROM_DancingWithIpod_ParticipantHandout