Van Biervliet Lecture | Sarah-Jayne Blakemore (University of Cambridge, UK) (registration required)

Inside the adolescent brain: what developmental science reveals and why it matters for society

Adolescence is a period of biological, cognitive and social development, shaped by environmental influences including family, peers, education and broader cultural contexts. It is also the developmental stage during which many mental health difficulties first emerge, making it a critical window for early identification, prevention and intervention. This talk will examine how research in developmental cognitive neuroscience has advanced our understanding of adolescence, with a particular focus on heightened sensitivity to social approval and increased vulnerability to environmental stressors. It will further consider how these scientific insights extend beyond the lab, with implications for education, public health and the legal system. Policies guided by evidence can help support young people across all aspects of their lives.

(*) The Van Biervliet lecture is a special colloquium delivered by a leading neuroscientist in the field and organised by the CCN. Previous speakers were Russel Poldrack (2017), Ole Jensen (2017), Michael Frank (2018), Eveline Crone (2019), & Birte Forstmann (2024).

Jules Van Biervliet (1859-1945) was the first psychologist at Ghent University. He came from a family of well know medical doctors. Jules was a doctor in arts and philosophy, candidate in medicine and doctor in physical sciences. In 1890, he was a professor in metaphysics and psychology at Ghent University. A year later, he founded a laboratory for Experimental Psychology at Ghent University, the first in Belgium and one of the first in Europe. To prepare for this, he went for training to the laboratory of Wilhelm Wundt in Leipzig. He also inspired Binet in the development of the first intelligence test.