Puberty is characterized by substantial change in many areas of development, including hormonal, physical, neuronal, psychological, and social domains. In this chapter, the authors outline how puberty, and its underlying hormonal and physical changes, might elicit a sensitive period for the development of the social brain. The literature to date suggests that pubertal development is relevant for the structural development of the social brain, and this is partly moderated by biological sex. Functionally, puberty might render the brain more sensitive to social information. However, methodological issues relating to sample size, study design, and analysis, limit the possibility of drawing more specific conclusions. Apart from overcoming these methodological problems, future research should focus on individual differences in pubertal processes and their relevance to social brain development, as well as examining the mechanisms via which pubertal processes impact social behavior through social brain functioning.
Beyond the average brain: individual differences in social brain development are associated with friendship quality
