Brain development and environment

[BadLuckNovelist]

Yes, I know this isn't really a discussion or debate...yet...but I need some intelligent answers, and this is the best place I could think of for this. Please yell at me if I'm wrong about that. I thought it might go under Science, but then I thought it might go under Psycology, so I'm confused.

Anyway, I need to write a five page paper about the affects of a child and teenager's environment on the development of their brain, and need a few sources. I'm making a survey of sorts be one of them. So if you all would be kind enough to answer these questions, I'd love you all forever.

1) Name (Username and/or real first name):
2) Age
3) What type of environment did you grow up in as a child?
4) ...as a teenager?
5) Do you feel you:
--A) Matured slower then most other people your age did.
--B) Matured at the same rate as most other people your age did.
--C) Matured faster then most other people your age did.
6) Do you feel that your environment had something to do with this? If not, why?
7) What affects did this have on you?

As for an actual debate, I guess I should explain what brought this topic on, and you can take it and fly:

In English class, we were discussing an article that talks about the development of a teenager's brain. One of the girl's mentioned that her brain did not develop any fast then anyone else's, regardless of the fact that she had added responsibilities (In her case, that was that she had a child).

I popped up with the idea that environment can cause change, that it is possible for the brain to adapt to what you are going through, just like the rest of your body adapts to new bodily environments (locations).

What is your take on it?

[BadLuckNovelist]

Does no one have any answers? I could seriously use the help.

[anigail82]

Ok,
1) that's really hard to answer in a post. "What environment did you grow up in???" That's such an open-ended question, with a ridiculously long answer.

2) If you want to have a decent paper/survey/experiment, try limiting the variables. Give specific choices. Example: did you grow up in a single parent home? How challenging was the curriculum at your school? Etc. This will give you much more reasonable variables to work with and will be a lot less "iffy" so far as opinions and such. more scientific.

[anigail82]

3) (just read the rest of your post smile ) While environmental factors are important, genetic factors are equally imporant . . . inherited traits and such. Some people are more/less affected by the environment in different ways. Some people are just naturally more intelligent/mature. Also, trauma/injury/illness can all have effects on intelligence. Nervous tissue is easily damaged and not easily repaired.

[BadLuckNovelist]

anigail82

Ok,
1) that's really hard to answer in a post. "What environment did you grow up in???" That's such an open-ended question, with a ridiculously long answer.

2) If you want to have a decent paper/survey/experiment, try limiting the variables. Give specific choices. Example: did you grow up in a single parent home? How challenging was the curriculum at your school? Etc. This will give you much more reasonable variables to work with and will be a lot less "iffy" so far as opinions and such. more scientific.

...point taken. I'm sorry. This is actually the first time I've had to actually do something this in-depth were the answers would make a big impact on the assignment itself, and I'm floundering with it badly. I've had to take guesses at how I'm supposed to do this.

As for 3, that's mainly why I asked if you felt environment affected it, or not. You could go into if you thought it genetic (like one person has done) or if it was something else altogether.