As adolescents grow, they gain ________ skills due to the development of their prefrontal cortex.

The development of the prefrontal cortex during adolescence significantly enhances cognitive functions, particularly those related to reasoning and problem-solving. This area of the brain is responsible for higher-order executive functions such as decision-making, planning, and critical thinking. As adolescents mature, they become better at understanding complex problems, weighing options, and predicting outcomes, which are essential skills for effective reasoning and problem-solving.

Motor skills are typically refined earlier in life, while emotional regulation, although also developing during this period, is more tied to various areas of the brain, not exclusively the prefrontal cortex. Creativity may also flourish during adolescence, but it is not as directly linked to the maturation of the prefrontal cortex as reasoning and problem-solving skills are.