Text 1: Neuroscientist Rao argues that the adolescent brain is not simply an immature adult brain. The prefrontal cortex, which governs impulse control, develops well into the mid-twenties, while the limbic system, which drives reward-seeking, matures earlier. This developmental mismatch, she writes, explains why teenagers take risks that adults find baffling.
Text 2: Neuroscientist Iglesias finds Rao's framework useful but incomplete. The mismatch model, he argues, treats teenage risk-taking as a kind of malfunction. In evolutionary terms, however, risk-tolerance in adolescence may be adaptive: young people must explore new environments, seek mates, and establish independence. The brain Rao describes as mismatched, Iglesias suggests, may simply be well-tuned to its actual developmental task.
Based on the texts, how would Iglesias (Text 2) most likely respond to Rao's "developmental mismatch" framing?
- A
He would reject the underlying neuroscience as inaccurate.
- B
He would argue that teenagers are no more risk-prone than adults.
- Ccheck_circle
He would accept the neural facts but reframe what they reveal about teenage behavior.
- D
He would say that the prefrontal cortex matures earlier than Rao claims.
Explanation
Iglesias accepts Rao's neural description (asymmetric development) but reinterprets it as adaptive rather than mismatched. B captures this subtle reframing. A, C, and D contradict his explicit positions.