The Development of Adolescent Social Cognition

Adolescence has long been considered a turbulent time; beginning with large changes in hormonal levels and consequent bodily changes, as well as changes in behavior. Recently, neuroscience studies have contributed to this picture of turbulence. We now know that the brain undergoes profound transformation during the teenage years. This paper focuses on how the social brain--the network of brain regions involved in understanding other people and self-awareness--develops during adolescence.