Editing Adolescence (section)

===Improvements in cognitive ability===
By the time individuals have reached ages 12–14 or so<ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.190772/2015.190772.The-Growth-Of-Logical-Thinking-From-Childhood-To-Adolescence_djvu.txt | title=The Growth of Logical Thinking from Childhood to Adolescence | year=1958 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780203835111/adolescent-rationality-development-david-moshman | doi=10.4324/9780203835111 | title=Adolescent Rationality and Development | date=2011 | last1=Moshman | first1=David | isbn=978-1-136-85420-0 }}</ref> their critical thinking and decision-making competency <ref>{{cite journal | url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7172783/ | title=The Competency of children and adolescents to make informed decisions | year=1982| pmid=7172783 | last1=Weithorn | first1=L. A. | last2=Campbell | first2=S. B. | journal=Child Development | volume=53 | issue=6 | pages=1589–1598 | doi=10.2307/1130087 | jstor=1130087 }}</ref> are comparable to those of adults. These improvements occur in five areas during adolescence:
# Attention: Improvements are seen in [[Attention#Selective attention|selective attention]], the process by which one focuses on one stimulus while tuning out another. [[Attention|Divided attention]], the ability to pay attention to two or more stimuli at the same time, also improves.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Higgins |first1=Anne T. |last2=Turnure |first2=James E. |title=Distractibility and Concentration of Attention in Children's Development |journal=Child Development |date=October 1984 |volume=55 |issue=5 |pages=1799 |doi=10.1111/j.1467-8624.1984.tb00422.x }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Schiff |first1=Andrew R. |last2=Knopf |first2=Irwin J. |title=The Effect of Task Demands on Attention Allocation in Children of Different Ages |journal=Child Development |date=June 1985 |volume=56 |issue=3 |pages=621–630 |doi=10.2307/1129752 |jstor=1129752 }}</ref>
# Memory: Improvements are seen in both [[working memory]] and [[long-term memory]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Keating |first=Daniel P. |title=Handbook of Adolescent Psychology |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |year=2004 |isbn=0-471-20948-1 |editor-last=Lerner |editor-first=Richard M. |edition=2nd |location=Hoboken |pages=54 |chapter=Cognitive and Brain Development |editor-last2=Steinberg |editor-first2=Laurence}}</ref>
# Processing speed: Adolescents think more quickly than children. Processing speed improves sharply between age five and middle adolescence; it then begins to level off at age 14/15 and does not appear to change between late adolescence and adulthood.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kail |first1=Robert V. |last2=Ferrer |first2=Emilio |title=Processing Speed in Childhood and Adolescence: Longitudinal Models for Examining Developmental Change |journal=Child Development |date=November 2007 |volume=78 |issue=6 |pages=1760–1770 |doi=10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01088.x |pmid=17988319 |citeseerx=10.1.1.856.4293 }}</ref>
# Organization: Adolescents are more aware of their thought processes and can use mnemonic devices and other strategies to think more efficiently.<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1016/S0065-2407(08)60009-9 |chapter=The Development of Memory: Knowing, Knowing About Knowing, and Knowing How to Know |title=Advances in Child Development and Behavior Volume 10 |year=1975 |last1=Brown |first1=Ann L. |volume=10 |pages=103–152 |pmid=1101659 |isbn=978-0-12-009710-4 }}</ref>
# [[Metacognition]]: Improved knowledge of their own thinking patterns increase self-control and social insight.

Studies newer than 2005 indicate that the brain is changing in efficiency well past its twenties, a 'point of maturity' in the twenties is somewhat arbitrary as many important parts of the brain are noted to be mature by 14 or 15, making 'maturity' hard to define and has often been disagreed with.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Edwards |first1=Lin |title=Brain is not fully mature until 30s and 40s |url=https://medicalxpress.com/news/2010-12-brain-fully-mature-30s-40s.html |work=Medical Xpress |date=22 December 2010 }}</ref>

Prefrontal cortex pruning has been recorded to level off by age 14 or 15,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Benes |first1=Francine M. |author-link1=Francine M. Benes |title=Myelination of a Key Relay Zone in the Hippocampal Formation Occurs in the Human Brain During Childhood, Adolescence, and Adulthood |journal=Archives of General Psychiatry |date=1 June 1994 |volume=51 |issue=6 |pages=477–484 |doi=10.1001/archpsyc.1994.03950060041004 |pmid=8192550 }}</ref> and has been seen to continue as late as into the sixth decade of life.<ref name="Cazard Ricard Facchetti 1992">{{cite journal |last1=Cazard |first1=P |last2=Ricard |first2=F |last3=Facchetti |first3=L |title=Dépression et asymétrie fonctionnelle |trans-title=Depression and functional EEG asymmetry |language=fr |journal=Annales médico-psychologiques |date=1992 |volume=150 |issue=2–3 |pages=230–239 |pmid=1343525 |oclc=118095174 }}</ref> White matter is recorded to increase up until around the age of 45, and then it is lost via progressive aging.