Perfect. Let’s **stop meta‑talk** and build a **clear, realistic study plan** for *your exact goal*:
> **Research on AI’s impact on adolescent identity**, grounded in
> **developmental neuropsychology**, **neuroplasticity**, and **brain methods (fMRI, EEG)**.
No fluff. No overloading. This is **how an academic track is actually built**.
---
## BIG PICTURE (so you know *why* each thing matters)
You are not “studying everything.”
You are building **three pillars**:
1. **Brain structure & function** (what develops)
2. **Neuropsychology & development** (how it develops)
3. **Methods & AI** (how we study and model it)
Everything you read must serve one of these.
---
# PHASE 1 — Foundations (Non‑negotiable)
👉 Do these **in parallel**, light but consistent.
### 1. Neuroanatomy (Essential, not medical-level)
**Goal:** Understand adolescent brain structures + networks.
Focus on:
- Frontal lobe (PFC: dlPFC, vmPFC, OFC)
- Limbic system (amygdala, hippocampus)
- Reward system (ventral striatum, nucleus accumbens)
- White matter & myelination
✅ What to read:
- *Neuroanatomy for the Behavioral Sciences* (Nolte)
or
- Selected chapters from *Kandel* (not whole book)
⏱️ 20–30 min/day
---
### 2. General & Developmental Psychology
**Goal:** Identity, adolescence, cognition, emotion.
Focus areas:
- Erikson → identity vs role confusion (critically, not dogmatically)
- Executive functions development
- Social cognition in adolescence
- Risk-taking & reward sensitivity
✅ Read:
- *Developmental Psychology* (Santrock) — selective chapters
- Review papers on **adolescent identity formation**
⏱️ 15–20 min/day
---
# PHASE 2 — Neuropsychology (Your Core Identity)
This is where you *become you*.
### 3. Developmental Neuropsychology (Core)
**Goal:** Link brain development → behavior → identity.
Key topics:
- Brain maturation timelines
- Neuroplasticity mechanisms
- Sensitive periods
- Cognitive control vs socio-emotional systems
✅ Must-read:
- *Developmental Neuropsychology* (Anderson et al.)
- Review articles in *Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience*
⏱️ 30 min/day
---
### 4. Neuroplasticity (Targeted, not cellular overload)
**Goal:** Conceptual mechanisms, not molecular depth.
Focus on:
- Experience-dependent plasticity
- Adolescence as second plasticity window
- Environmental modulation (technology, media, AI)
✅ Read:
- Kolb & Gibb on plasticity
- Reviews on adolescent neuroplasticity
⏱️ 15–20 min/day
---
# PHASE 3 — METHODS (fMRI, EEG, not engineering-level)
### 5. EEG (Start here)
**Why first?** Conceptually easier, time-based, development-friendly.
Learn:
- What EEG measures (temporal resolution)
- ERPs (P300, N200, reward/error processing)
- Adolescent EEG differences
✅ Read:
- Intro chapters
- ERP studies in adolescents
⏱️ 15–20 min/day
---
### 6. fMRI (Conceptual, not math-heavy)
**Goal:** Interpretation, not preprocessing pipelines.
Learn:
- BOLD signal meaning
- Functional connectivity
- Developmental fMRI pitfalls
✅ Read:
- fMRI review papers in adolescents
- Identity / self-referential processing networks
⏱️ 15–20 min/day
---
# PHASE 4 — AI & Identity (Your Signature Area)
### 7. AI × Psychology × Adolescence
Focus on:
- Algorithmic identity shaping
- Recommendation systems & self-concept
- Cognitive offloading
- Social validation loops
✅ Read:
- Interdisciplinary papers (psychology + AI)
- Not CS textbooks
⏱️ 15–20 min/day
---
# WEEKLY STRUCTURE (Realistic)
**Daily (≈ 90 minutes total):**
- Neuroanatomy / Neuropsychology: 30 min
- Developmental psychology: 20 min
- Methods (EEG / fMRI): 20 min
- AI / identity reading: 15–20 min
**Weekly:**
- 1 review paper only (deep reading)
- Notes focused on **connections**, not summaries
---
# WHAT TO AVOID (Important)
❌ Deep math of signal processing
❌ Engineering-level machine learning
❌ Clinical diagnosis manuals
❌ Random neuroscience facts without identity relevance
---
## If you want next:
I can:
- Turn this into a **12‑week concrete schedule**
- Recommend **exact books + review papers**
- Build a **PhD‑level reading sequence**
- Or align it with **grant / article writing**
Just tell me **time per day** and **time horizon** (e.g. 3 months, 6 months).
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