Emotional and Cognitive Development in Adolescents

Abstract

The development of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying higher cognitive capabilities and social and emotional behavior occurs most rapidly during adolescence. However, emotions are intricate phenomena made up of several subprocesses. In this article, we make the case that looking at emotional and cognitive development from a process-level approach enables crucial insights into the mechanisms underlying teenagers' fluctuating moods and increased risk of psychosocial changes. Adolescence is also a time when emotional capacity changes, including enhancements in affective modulation and emotional cue discrimination. According to functional imaging studies utilizing cognitive and affective difficulties, frontal cortical networks go through developmental changes in processing. The complex paths that intersect in a unique way during adolescence are revealed by comparing the developmental progressions for the physiological sensitivity to emotion, emotional regulation ability, and motivation to experience particular affective states. We analyze how these overlapping trajectories may affect both positive outcomes, such as adolescent social relationships, and negative consequences, including psychosocial behavioral changes.