Teenagers are often portrayed¹ as thrill-seekers, but research suggests their brains are wired to learn from their experiences, which makes them better prepared for adulthood².

青少年通常被认为喜欢寻求刺激，不过有研究发现，他们的大脑善于从经验中学习，为他们走上社会作更好的准备。

In a small study, they performed better than adults at a picture-based game and brain scans showed a higher level of brain activity.

在一项小研究中，他们在一个看图游戏中比成年人表现的更好，脑部扫描数据显示大脑活动水平更高。

The research team, from Harvard, Columbia and California universities, set out to test whether adolescents' typical reward-seeking behaviour could also make them better at learning from good or bad outcomes.

来自哈佛大学、哥伦比亚大学和加利福尼亚大学的研究团队决定通过测试以验证，是否青少年典型的寻求奖赏的行为，会在他们从好或坏的结果中学习时更有帮助。

They asked 41 teenagers, aged 13 to 17, and 31 adults, aged 20 to 30, to play a game based on pictures while scanning some of each group's brains using MRI.

他们邀请了年龄在13到17岁之间的41名青少年，以及年龄在20到39岁之间的31名成年人，来参加一个图片游戏，同时使用核磁共振成像技术来扫描每组中部分人员的大脑。

In the game, the teenagers got more answers correct and memory tests showed they were also better at remembering the detail of why they chose the answers they did.

在游戏中，青少年组答对的题目更多，同时记忆力测试显示，他们在记住自己为何要选择某个答案的细节方面表现更好。

The study said this meant they were better at learning from their experiences - which would equip them well for leaving home and gaining independence as adults.

研究指出，这意味着他们能更好的从经验中学习--作好充分准备，以便在成年后能离家独立。

When they looked at the teenagers' brain scans, the researchers found activity in two areas of the brain - the hippocampus and the striatum - whereas adults mainly used their striatum.

当研究人员查看青少年的大脑扫描数据时，他们发现大脑有两个区域在活动--海马体和纹状体，而成年人的大脑主要使用纹状体。

They said these connections between two important parts of the growing brain explained why they performed better.

研究人员表示，这种正在发育的大脑中两个重要部分的连接，解释了为何青少年表现的更好。

Juliet Davidow, a psychology³ researcher at Harvard University, said the findings could inspire new ways of teaching teenagers.

哈佛大学的心理学研究员朱丽叶·达维多表示，这项研究能为青少年教学带来新的启发。

"If you frame something positively⁴, it could be the case that adolescents will remember things about the learning experience better. In everyday life, they're paying attention to their environment in a way that is different from adults."

“如果你构造出积极的事物，可能出现的情况就是，青少年将更好的记住学习经验相关的东西。在日常生活中，他们正在以与成年人不同的方式关注着周围的环境。”