Adolescents gain _____ skills as the prefrontal cortex develops.

• A. Motor and exploratory
• B. Reasoning and problem-solving
• C. Exploratory and problem-solving
• D. Motor and problem-solving

Answer: (B)

As adolescence progresses, the prefrontal cortex matures to support higher-order thinking. This region is central to executive functions such as reasoning, planning, and solving problems, so gains in reasoning and problem-solving are the most associated with its development. Motor skills depend largely on the motor cortex and cerebellum and tend to mature earlier, while exploratory behaviors are driven more by curiosity and reward networks rather than executive planning. So the best fit is reasoning and problem-solving.