Overgeneralization 2: Adolescents have no prefrontal cortex
Saying that one studies the adolescent brain is often met with comic skepticism and feigned relief that adolescents do indeed have a brain. There is no hole in the head or absence of
parts to suggest a lesion-related impairment during this period. Moreover, the prefrontal cortex, a region important in self-control and rational decision making, is clearly present even from birth. What is changing during this period of development is the strength of connections within prefrontal circuitry as individuals learn to adapt to changing environmental demands (Liston et al., 2006). This development reflects a combination of evolutionarily shaped biological constraints and experiential history, which interact to shape the brain and behavior.