There was a correlation between weaker working memory and the likelihood that a teen would have sex - including unprotected sex - at a younger age.
#I have to quit making rash decisions series#
And through another series of tests and surveys, the researcher tried to gauge how likely each teen was to act without thinking, to make rash decisions and take risks. The researchers then tracked all the participants for two years, and asked about the teens' sexual activity. Shots - Health News Can We Predict Which Teens Are Likely To Binge Drink? Maybe "We basically tested their ability to keep information in mind while making decisions," Khurana says.
For example, the researchers told the participants a string of random numbers and asked them to repeat what they heard in reverse order. Khurana and her colleagues rounded up 360 adolescents, ages 12 to 15, and assessed their working memory using a series of tests. "Working memory is the ability to keep different things in mind when you're making decisions or problem solving," explains Atika Khurana, an assistant professor of counseling psychology at the University of Oregon who led the study. Individual differences in the brain's working memory - which allows people to draw on and use information to make decisions - could help explain why some adolescents are especially impulsive when it comes to sex, according to a study published Wednesday in Child Development. Teenagers aren't exactly known for their responsible decision making.īut some young people are especially prone to making rash, risky decisions about sex, drugs and alcohol.
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