The Biological, Social, and Behavioral Changes Associated with Adolescence

By Rose Fisher, Undecided, '22

This is an annotated bibliography of an article by Sarah-Jayne Blakemore and Kathryn Mills named: Is Adolescence a Sensitive Period for Sociocultural Processing? I chose this article because I think it provides a good overview of the biological, neurological, social, and behavioral changes associated with adolescence.

Blakemore, S. J., & Mills, K. L. (2013). Is Adolescence a Sensitive Period for Sociocultural Processing? Annual Review of Psychology Vol. 65:187-207, Retrieved March 28, 2019, from https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115202

In this article, authors Blakemore and Mills review both the functional and structural changes that arise in the human brain during adolescence, examining other experiments and studies to provide evidence for their claims. The authors explain that adolescence is marked both by puberty and by social and behavioral changes, and that during adolescence, teenagers become increasingly interested in socialization and peer-acceptance (Blakemore & Mills, 2013). Blakemore and Mills address how these changes can lead to mental health disorders, as adolescents’ interactions with and perceptions of others and themselves rapidly change, and as the neurochemistry of the adolescent brain evolves. Specifically, the authors note how the development of the HPA axis, combined with increased levels of glucocorticoids during adolescence can contribute to psychological disorders. Blakemore and Mills also discuss the development of a number of social cognitive processes, including face processing and biological motion detection, which undergo significant development during adolescence. Face-processing is  especially important for adolescent development, as it is a crucial tool for reading and understanding the emotions of others. There are, however, other more complicated social processes that involve interpreting other peoples’ emotions and thoughts and making difficult personal decisions. These processes are harder to evaluate but are extremely important to adolescent growth. The neurochemical changes occurring in the adolescent brain also allow teenagers to develop deeper social emotions. The authors define social emotions as those which result from understanding other’s opinions and perceptions. Guilt, embarrassment and pride are provided as examples.

Blakemore and Mills explain how the biological social brain network, which consists of the “dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), temporoparietal junction (TPJ), posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), and anterior temporal cortex (ATC)”, develops during adolescence (Blakemore & Mills, 2013, p.192). The social brain network is needed to perceive others’ emotions and thoughts, and to understand one’s own emotions. The authors discuss how changes in the structure of the brain, namely in the thickness, surface area, and concentration of white and grey matter in the cerebral cortex, generate changes in social processing. Lastly, Blakemore and Mills explain that because the prefrontal cortex is still developing during adolescence, adolescents are less able to plan ahead, make good decisions, and understand the consequences of their actions. Because they are still developing these skills, adolescents are thus more prone to engage in risky behavior. The authors note that individuals who have negative interactions with their environments as adolescents are significantly more likely to engage in risky behavior as adults, and advocate that abrupt changes in schooling, social settings, or home-life can negatively affect adolescent growth.

The HPA Axis
https://neuroscientificallychallenged.com/blog/2014/5/31/what-is-the-hpa-axis

The Structure of the Biological Social Brain Network
https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn2353