It is a fact that teenagers are stronger and faster than children as well as more resistant to disease. It is tempting to put it down to plain stupidity: Teenagers have not yet learned how to make good choices. But that is simply not true. Psychologists have found that teenagers are about as adept as adults at recognizing the risks of dangerous behavior. Something else is at work. Scientists are finally figuring out what that “something” is. Human brains have networks of neurons that weigh the costs and benefits of potential actions. Together these networks calculate how valuable things are and how far we'll go to get them, making judgments in hundredths of a second, far from our conscious awareness. A separate network of regions in the front of the brain is responsible for evaluating conflicting impulses. This cognitive control network allows us to hold back an action that could deliver a short-term reward if it interferes with a long-term goal. The network grows very slowly over the first 25 years of life. As a result, it works poorly in childhood, better in teens, and even better in adults.Some of the most telling insight into the adolescent mind comes not from humans but rats. Around seven weeks after birth, rats hit puberty and begin to act a lot like human teens. They start spending less time with their parents and more with other adolescent rats; they become more curious about new experiences and increasingly explore their world. Teenage rats also develop new desires. In the table below are some of the analyses done for comparison between humans and rats of the age of seven weeks. https://gmatclub.com/forum/download/file.php?mode=view&id=74185In children, the cognitive control network was the most active, in teenagers the activity was lower, and in adults, it was lower still. As the cognitive control network matures, it gets more efficient. The upshot is that as we age, we need to put less effort into holding ourselves back. The reward system of the teenager’s brain may make them more willing to face the risks that come with this daunting new stage of life. But with access to modern dangers like illegal drugs and fast cars, the teenager’s risks have increased. Evolution does not operate quickly enough to have reacted to such factors. The brain’s heightened responses can also open the way for psychological troubles. Due to experience, environment, or genes, some teens may possess relatively low levels of cognitive control, making them particularly vulnerable to neurological signals of fear. If the signals go unchecked, they may lead to anxiety, depression, or other disorders such as addiction. And even well-adjusted adolescents may be primed to choose the heart over the head. Improved version of this question is here: https://gmatclub.com/forum/teenagers-ar ... 45557.html Data Insights (DI) Butler 2023-24 Click here for Details ] Table.jpg

For 1(a) can't we infer that although teenagers can recognize the risk of dangerous behavior, because of their moderate cognitive control, they are not able to make the "optimal" decisions? I see that you said "can be inferred" but the answer says that 1(a) cannot be inferred. Can someone help?? KarishmaB chetan2u

Q1.(C) from tab 1 theory part and table analysis part can't we deduced the control network exhibit reduced activity in teens than adult from theory it mentioned adult> teens> children last para of 1st tab and even in the table moderate for teens and high for adult. kindly help me out with this

Improved version of this question is here: https://gmatclub.com/forum/teenagers-ar ... 45557.html

It is a fact that teenagers are stronger and faster than children as : Multi-Source Reasoning Archive

can be inferred	cannot be inferred
		Due to lower cognitive control, adolescents are unable to make optimal decisions.
		Neurons in the human brain are responsible to make cost and benefit analyses when a human takes a risk.
		Teen agers exhibit reduced activity in the cognitive control network compared to adults.

True	False
		Compared to a child, a teenager will make a sound decision while taking a risk.
		Children have a moderate level of cognitive control.
		Curiosity level and cognitive control are negatively correlated.

	Cognitive control matures and becomes more efficient as individuals age.
	Evolutionary processes may not have had sufficient time to adapt to modern risks, leading to heightened responses in the teenage brain that can potentially result in psychological troubles.
	All teenagers are equally susceptible to psychological troubles due to heightened brain responses and relatively low levels of cognitive control.
	Low levels of cognitive control may lead teen agers to anxiety, depression, addiction, or other disorders.
	Even well-adjusted adolescents may be inclined to make decisions based on emotional impulses rather than rational thinking.

It is a fact that teenagers are stronger and faster than children as

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