To achieve this stage of maturity, a part of the brain, the prefrontal cortex, is rapidly changing during the physical growth of a teen. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for cognitive development which has been examined through MRI images and other studies. Tasks like “decision-making, planning, planning what you 're going to do tomorrow or next week or next year, inhibiting inappropriate behavior, so stopping yourself saying something really rude or doing something really stupid”(Blakemore,2012) are controlled by the prefrontal cortex. “Researchers are intrigued by all of these changes in the brain because they seem to correspond to such behaviors as planning, higher-level reasoning, and impulse control in adolescents. If we see notable changes in thinking, social behavior, and even risk taking in the teen years, the reason may be, say some researchers, that underlying brain physiology is at least partly …show more content…
During this time teens develop abstract thinking and logically test hypotheses. The ability to think abstractly explains why some teens can tell events they never have experienced, whereas hypothetico-deductive reasoning aid to solve problems, one step at the time (Oswalt,2012). Propositional thought develops right along the hypothetico-deductive reasoning in which teens learn the scientific and methodical approach to solve a problem. Next is the propositional thought. Teens are able to understand if a statement is logical or if the statement is in need to be recreated to define if it is logical. All these stage are very important to the development from child to adulthood. Nevertheless adolescents encounter some confusing issues. While getting better at observing others, they are beginning to wonder what others may be thinking about them. Piaget called this the imaginary audience and personal fable. This stage can cause some problems, especially in younger youth, with low self-esteem. Piaget’s interpretation of personal fable is when a teen’s self-esteem is weak and thoughts about self as dumb, weak, or even inferior to others, may in time lead to depression and hopelessness. Unable to handle these insecurities the adolescent may resort to dangerous behaviors, such as drug abuse, unsafe sexual practices, or in some incidents suicide. In