Why Children Are Used...

Dont know how long the link will last, about 7 days for yahoo news...
But Scientists have learned that there are differences in children's brains than in adult brains.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20090518/sc_livescience/childbrainsorganizeddifferentlythanadultbrains

But anyone dealing with chidlren could have told you this... Children do think differently than from adults.

lolz, well that wasn't a big secret

yeah sometimes it's weird when a scientific finding only gets a "Well duh!" from the common people

At least now it's "fact" you could say.

Anyways, didn't the manga say why they use kids early on anyways?

Jean claims in Chapter 1 that the SWA engineers say the physical modification and chemical brainwashing work better on younger patients.

^ What Kisk said.

In Volume 6 they mention something about one day hoping to use it on adults, but to be honest....I think it works better on children for more than just the medicational reasons. Using children gives them a much bigger element of surprise. Kids look innocent. *shrug* I think that's the best reason.

Secchan wrote:In Volume 6 they mention something about one day hoping to use it on adults, but to be honest....I think it works better on children for more than just the medicational reasons. Using children gives them a much bigger element of surprise. Kids look innocent. *shrug* I think that's the best reason.

Quoted for truth. You never expect a little kid of being a superhuman killing machine.

Nachtsider wrote:Quoted for truth. You never expect a little kid of being a superhuman killing machine.

True, but a little kid can't be depended on to make complex decisions in a crisis situation. Not saying they'll de facto screw things up, or that an adult will always make perfect judgement calls, but conditioning can only remove inhibitions and fears. It can't boost a kid's ability to make a smart choice, especially if she only has one second to react.

Which is why they generally seem to need their handlers, well, holding their hands for anything more complex then "Go in there and kill everyone".

and out side of cybernetic implants, you can't expect a 10 year old to be accurate with anything bigger than a .30 handgun

J the Drafter wrote:True, but a little kid can't be depended on to make complex decisions in a crisis situation. Not saying they'll de facto screw things up, or that an adult will always make perfect judgement calls, but conditioning can only remove inhibitions and fears. It can't boost a kid's ability to make a smart choice, especially if she only has one second to react.

I dunno. Triela seems to be doing just fine.

Triela's a 20 year old in a 14 year old's body now...

Even earlier on, West? As way back as Volume One/Episode Four, she did make some pretty sound judgment calls.

well yeah... but then Triela is still the teenager among the children... that does make a difference

Bah... I'm referring to everyone Triela's age and under as a kid these days. Next thing I know, I'll be telling people to get off my lawn, even though I don't have one.

I think the optimal SWA 'recruitment age' would be from the 12-14 range (Claes and Triela's). Not too old, yet still capable of being fairly independent and astute for that age bracket.

Nachtsider wrote:Bah... I'm referring to everyone Triela's age and under as a kid these days. Next thing I know, I'll be telling people to get off my lawn, even though I don't have one.

of course not, but i can imagine you making "back in my day" stories even though the kids would probably reply "isnn't it like that till now?"

Triela is the most independent operative, but she's also probably been in the field longest. Hillshire also made a conscious effort to not hold her hand so he's forced her to act independently, though sometimes that backfires on him (her shooting Giacomotti in Chapter 3).

While it's true that kids bring that element of surprise to the mix, I don't think that's the case now. Looking at the manga, it seems the surprise card has been overplayed, and it's not a surprise any more.

The PRF knows the government is sending kids against them, however they don't appear to know those kids are cyborgs.

And it helps that the girls don't leave behind witnesses to identify them to other terrorists.

Kiskaloo wrote:The PRF knows the government is sending kids against them, however they don't appear to know those kids are cyborgs.

Exactly. They know that the government is using kids as soldiers, but not that the kids are superhuman. I mean, look at the way Franca pulled a gun on Aurora in Volume Three. All indications were that she was wielding her weapon on the assumption that the target she was aiming at was a normal human being. If it had been, say, Rico that she had been drawing a bead on, Rico would have attacked, Franca would have fired, the bullet would have bounced off Rico's skull, and Franca would have been dead.

Nachtsider wrote:

Kiskaloo wrote:The PRF knows the government is sending kids against them, however they don't appear to know those kids are cyborgs.

Exactly. They know that the government is using kids as soldiers, but not that the kids are superhuman. I mean, look at the way Franca pulled a gun on Aurora in Volume Three. All indications were that she was wielding her weapon on the assumption that the target she was aiming at was a normal human being. If it had been, say, Rico that she had been drawing a bead on, Rico would have attacked, Franca would have fired, the bullet would have bounced off Rico's skull, and Franca would have been dead.

Definately an "OH CRAP!" moment...

Or...
Director Lorenzo getting out of his seat and yelling "CUT!!! CUT!!! CUT!!! THIS WILL NOT DO!- YOU, BLONDE! YOU ARE TO BE SURPRIZED AND SCARED SHITLESS! You Just Put a Bullet Into This Girl's Skull, And It Bounced Off! Dont Look Stupid Standing There! And You- Little One... You Are To Beat The Crap Out Of Her The Second She Turns To Run Away! What Am I Paying You In Milk And Cookies For Anyway?!!"

ElfenMagix wrote:
What Am I Paying You In Milk And Cookies For Anyway?!!"

this =

Tommygunner70 wrote:

ElfenMagix wrote:
What Am I Paying You In Milk And Cookies For Anyway?!!"

this =

a new definition for Milk Money

You never expect a little kid of being a superhuman killing machine

Unless you've babysat a relative's spoilt kid...

ElfenMagix wrote:Am I Paying You In Milk And Cookies For Anyway?!!"

Rule Number 1, Child actors will never cease to stop giving the director problems.

sasahara17 wrote:

ElfenMagix wrote:Am I Paying You In Milk And Cookies For Anyway?!!"

Rule Number 1, Child actors will never cease to stop giving the director problems.

lol
i can c rico saying some thing like that to jean XD

Hmm,
I think it might be harder and more difficult to condition older girls like Petra or others.
It's not as easy as at younger girls.

Yes, the puberty is doing alot with a brain. Thats why Teens are so difficult to handle.

schaschanist wrote:Hmm,
I think it might be harder and more difficult to condition older girls like Petra or others.
It's not as easy as at younger girls.

Agreed. I think that it comes down to younger brains simply being more impressionable than older ones... they haven't had as much experience at being "normal". The body's at a stage where it's still growing as well, so the brain is also in a state where it's easily able to update how it controls limbs and so on. As such it's likely not as much of a jump for it to take up controlling cybernetics as it would be for an adult brain that has had a decade or two to get comforable in its own skin.

I'd figured that the period of pre- to mid-adolescence the brain is undergoing massive growth & chemical change. By necessity the brain must be pliable & adaptive during that time...the perfect time to introduce the new element of cyberentic parts.