A large sample of adolescents (n=900, age range 12-15) from over 40 classes participated in the research. Their social cognitive abilities and emotional wellbeing were assessed with tasks and questionnaires, and their classroom relationships with peer nomination procedures. The measurements were conducted six times in total, with six months intervals. Subsamples of the adolescents participated in a functional neuroimaging study (n=86, 3 times with one-year interval) and an ecological momentary assessment or diary study (n=50, 2 times with one-year interval).
The results show ongoing brain and behavioural development of social cognitive abilities in this age period, with differential trajectories for boys and girls. Position in the social network was associated with specific neural and behavioral indices of social cognition, specifically with social reward. Emotional wellbeing in daily life was sensitive to the social context, with lower valence and arousal when alone compared to when in company.
The work has resulted in over 25 publications in international peer-reviewed journals, and several papers are in preparation or currently under review. Three PhD students have written their dissertation on the project results and are expected to graduate this year.