Becoming Connected - Adolescent Social-Cognitive Development in the Peer Context

The development of social-cognitive abilities during adolescence is vital for the formation of positive lasting social relationships outside the family. A better understanding of the development of adolescent social-cognitive abilities can potentially foster positive social relationships, heighten resilience, and improve general well-being and mental health for adolescents. Research in the past decade has provided strong evidence that social-cognitive abilities and their underlying neural functions are still under development during adolescence. However, the specific developmental trajectories of distinct social-cognitive abilities, and individual differences relating to their development have not yet been established. The aim of the current dissertation was to further our understanding of the development of specific social-cognitive abilities during adolescents and how they shape and are shaped by the peer environment. Overall, the present dissertation confirms that adolescence is a period of continued social-cognitive development. The precise developmental trajectories depend on the specific social-cognitive process and show individual differences, depending on factors such as the peer environment and gender. Our results demonstrate a bidirectional interaction in which social-cognitive abilities shape and are shaped by the peer context during adolescence. As such, the present dissertation confirms that the combination of adolescents’ social reorientation and continued maturation of the neural networks of the social brain present unique opportunities for adolescents’ social-cognitive development and highlights the role of the peer context in influencing positive or negative developmental trajectories.