Self-centered behaviour tied to less brain maturity
Young children who show self-centered behaviour are more likely to have a slower development of a brain region which is involved in self-control.
A new German study published in the journal Neuron says the reason why children under the age of six are more self-centered is that their brain development is immature and makes them unable to consider wishes of others.
Researchers at the Max-Planck Institute carried out behaviour tests and brain scans on 146 kids as they played games that involved sharing a reward with other children.
Scientists compared brain scans of kids who shared more things with brain images of adult people.
The results showed that dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a brain region involved with impulse control was more developed in adults.
“We observed an age-related increase in strategic decision making between ages 6 to 13 years and showed that changes in bargaining behaviour were best accounted for by age-related differences in impulse-control abilities and underlying functional activity of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a late-maturing brain region linked with self-control,” said lead author Dr. Nikolaus Steinbeis.
The findings suggest that egocentric behaviour in children may not be a function of an inability to know “fair” from “unfair,” but is instead due to an immature prefrontal cortex that does not support altruistic behaviour when faced with a situation that has a strong self-serving incentive.
“Our findings represent a critical advance in our understanding of the development of social behaviour with far-reaching implications for educational policy and highlight the importance of helping children act on what they already know,” concludes Dr. Steinbeis. “Such interventions could set the foundation for increased altruism in the future.”
Source: presstv.ir
