Adolescent development is characterized by biological, cognitive, and social changes. Physical changes associated with puberty are triggered by hormones. Cognitive changes include improvements in complex and abstract thought, as well as the development that happens at different rates in distinct parts of the brain and increases adolescents’ propensity for risky behavior because increases in sensation-seeking and reward motivation precede increases in cognitive control. Adolescence is characterized by risky behavior, which is made more likely by changes in the brain in which reward-processing centers develop more rapidly than cognitive control systems, making adolescents more sensitive to rewards than to possible negative consequences.

13.8.3 Additional resources

• The mysterious workings of the adolescent brain [TEDTalk].
• Brain changes during adolescence | Behavior | MCAT | Khan Academy [YouTube Video].
• Executive Functioning in Online Environments
• Metacognition in the classroom:

• Vanderbilt University- Center for Teaching-Metacognition
• Edutopia-Metacognition: Nurturing Self-Awareness in the Classroom

Study: The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) is a longitudinal study of a nationally representative sample of adolescents in grades 7–12 in the United States during the 1994–95 school year. Add Health combines data on respondents’ social, economic, psychological and physical well-being with contextual data on the family, neighborhood, community, school, friendships, peer groups, and romantic relationships.