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Related Concept Videos

Cognitive Development During Adolescence01:18

Cognitive Development During Adolescence

During adolescence, individuals experience significant cognitive development that enhances their understanding of others' emotions and thoughts, known as cognitive empathy. This period is marked by an increased ability to adapt to others' perspectives and a more nuanced understanding of others' mental states, a skill that is foundational for social problem-solving and conflict avoidance. The development of cognitive empathy relies heavily on the theory of mind — the recognition that people have...
Information Processing Approach01:30

Information Processing Approach

The information-processing theory of cognitive development centers on fundamental mental processes, including attention, memory, and problem-solving skills. Researchers in this field examine how cognitive abilities, such as working memory, evolve and influence children's overall development. Studies indicate that children with stronger working memory tend to excel in reading comprehension, math, and problem-solving compared to peers with less efficient memory skills. Low working memory is also...
Biological Influences on Intelligence01:30

Biological Influences on Intelligence

Intelligence is often thought to be linked to brain size, but the relationship is more complex than that. While brain size does correlate modestly with some abilities, like verbal skills, the connection is weaker for others, such as spatial reasoning. Other factors, like brain structure, also play crucial roles. For instance, despite Einstein's smaller-than-average brain, his parietal cortex, which is involved in spatial reasoning, was 15% wider, suggesting that neural density might matter more...
Revisionist Views of Adolescent and Adult Cognition01:24

Revisionist Views of Adolescent and Adult Cognition

A revisionist approach to Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development has brought new insights that challenge and reinterpret his established ideas. Piaget proposed that the formal operational stage, emerging in adolescence, represents the culmination of cognitive maturity. During this stage, individuals are said to develop abstract thinking, engage in systematic problem-solving, and show a form of egocentrism, believing others are as preoccupied with their behavior as they are themselves.
Cognitive Development During Adulthood01:30

Cognitive Development During Adulthood

Cognitive development continues throughout adulthood, undergoing significant shifts across early, middle, and late stages. Individual transition occurs from adolescent idealism to pragmatic and adaptable thinking in early adulthood. During this period, individuals learn to integrate personal beliefs with the recognition that other perspectives are equally valid. Exposure to the complexities of modern society, diverse experiences, and higher education contribute to this adaptive thought process,...
Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development from Childhood into Adulthood01:25

Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development from Childhood into Adulthood

Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development emphasizes the role of thinking in a child's learning process, suggesting that children are naturally curious about their environment. His approach to development is discontinuous, proposing that cognitive abilities progress through distinct stages, each with unique characteristics. Central to Piaget's theory is schemata—mental structures that allow individuals to understand and interpret the world.
Schemata: Building Blocks of Knowledge
Schemata...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Scanning Dos and Don'ts: Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Awake Children Aged 3 to 5 Years to Assess Brain Structure and Function
07:31

Scanning Dos and Don'ts: Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Awake Children Aged 3 to 5 Years to Assess Brain Structure and Function

Published on: March 10, 2026

Cognitive ability in childhood predicts adolescent structural and functional brain development: A longitudinal study.

Phoebe Thomson1, Philip Shaw2, Divyangana Rakesh1

  • 1Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.

Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
|June 22, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Childhood cognitive ability influences brain development. Higher cognitive skills in youth correlate with distinct trajectories in gray matter, white matter, and brain connectivity during adolescence.

Keywords:
AdolescenceBrain structureFunctional connectivityIntelligence and cognitive functionLongitudinalWhite matter

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • Childhood cognitive ability is linked to brain structure and connectivity.
  • Longitudinal studies on early cognition and multimodal brain development are scarce.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate associations between childhood cognitive ability and longitudinal brain development.
  • Examine links with gray matter, white matter, and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC).

Main Methods:

  • Utilized longitudinal data from 10,495 participants in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study.
  • Employed linear mixed-effects models to analyze baseline cognition (matrix reasoning, fluid, crystallized) and brain measure trajectories.
  • Assessed cortical thickness, surface area, volume, fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, and rsFC across four time points.

Main Results:

  • Higher baseline cognitive scores correlated with altered developmental trajectories across brain structure and connectivity.
  • Childhood fluid cognition linked to faster gray matter contraction; matrix reasoning to slower white matter fractional anisotropy increases.
  • Lower cognitive scores associated with increased between-network rsFC, while higher scores showed absent increases.

Conclusions:

  • Early cognitive ability is associated with distinct longitudinal brain development patterns.
  • Findings suggest neurobiological pathways linking childhood cognition to adolescent brain maturation and long-term outcomes.
  • Highlights the importance of early cognitive function in shaping brain development trajectories.