Laurence Steinberg

Adolescent risk-taking is predicted by individual differences in cognitive control over emotional, but not non-emotional, response conflict

ABSTRACT While much research on adolescent risk behaviour has focused on the development of prefrontal self-regulatory mechanisms, prior studies have elicited mixed evidence of a relationship between individual differences in the capacity for self-regulation and individual differences in risk taking. To explain these inconsistent findings, it has been suggested that the capacity for self-regulation may be, for most adolescents, adequately mature to produce adaptive behaviour in non-affective, “cold” circumstances, but that adolescents have a more difficult time exerting control in affective, “hot” contexts. To further explore this claim, the present study examined individual differences in self-control in the face of affective and non-affective response conflict, and examined whether differences in the functioning of cognitive control processes under these different conditions was related to risk taking. Participants completed a cognitive Stroop task, an emotional Stroop task, and a risky driving task known as the Stoplight game. Regression analyses showed that performance on the emotional Stroop task predicted laboratory risk-taking in the driving task, whereas performance on the cognitive Stroop task did not exhibit the same trend. This pattern of results is consistent with theories of adolescent risk-taking that emphasise the impacts of affective contextual influences on the ability to enact effective cognitive control.

Callous-unemotional traits predict self-reported offending in adolescent boys: The mediating role of delinquent peers and the moderating role of parenting practices

Research has only recently begun to examine how callous–unemotional (CU) traits interact with contextual factors to predict delinquent behavior. The current study attempts to explain the well-established link between CU traits and offending by testing the potential mediating and moderating roles of 2 critical contextual factors: peer delinquency and the quality of the parent–adolescent relationship among a sample of 1,216 male juvenile offenders. Youth in the study were interviewed once every 6 months and in the current analyses, CU traits measured at baseline, parenting and delinquent peer association measured during the 6-month interview, and offending measured at the 1-year interview were utilized in path analysis. The findings suggested that the effect of CU traits was partially mediated by delinquent peer association. Additionally, it was found that when both parental warmth and supervision were high, this indirect effect through delinquent peer association was no longer significant. The findings highlight the importance of specific aspects of parenting in reducing delinquent peer influence, particularly among youth with high levels of CU traits.

Age patterns in risk taking across the world

Epidemiological data indicate that risk behaviors are among the leading causes of adolescent morbidity and mortality worldwide. Consistent with this, laboratory-based studies of age differences in risk behavior allude to a peak in adolescence, suggesting that adolescents demonstrate a heightened propensity, or inherent inclination, to take risks. Unlike epidemiological reports, studies of risk taking propensity have been limited to Western samples, leaving questions about the extent to which heightened risk taking propensity is an inherent or culturally constructed aspect of adolescence. In the present study, age patterns in risk-taking propensity (using two laboratory tasks: the Stoplight and the BART) and real-world risk taking (using self-reports of health and antisocial risk taking) were examined in a sample of 5227 individuals (50.7% female) ages 10–30 (Mu2009=u200917.05 years, SDu2009=u20095.91) from 11 Western and non-Western countries (China, Colombia, Cyprus, India, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, and the US). Two hypotheses were tested: (1) risk taking follows an inverted-U pattern across age groups, peaking earlier on measures of risk taking propensity than on measures of real-world risk taking, and (2) age patterns in risk taking propensity are more consistent across countries than age patterns in real-world risk taking. Overall, risk taking followed the hypothesized inverted-U pattern across age groups, with health risk taking evincing the latest peak. Age patterns in risk taking propensity were more consistent across countries than age patterns in real-world risk taking. Results suggest that although the association between age and risk taking is sensitive to measurement and culture, around the world, risk taking is generally highest among late adolescents.

The Anatomy of Developmental Predictors of Healthy Lives Study (TADPOHLS)

Numerous studies have followed people across significant portions of their lives. Secondary analyses with these studies offer opportunities to study life trajectories across diverse samples. To aid integrative efforts, we introduce The Anatomy of Developmental Predictors of Healthy Lives Study (TADPOHLS), a data base that categorizes items and constructs from 14 prospective longitudinal studies that followed participants from adolescence into adulthood. To classify items and measures, we created an extensive typology that provides a common language for categorizing study concepts. We illustrate the utility of the data base by examining adolescent perseverance and optimism as predictors of physical health outcomes across six studies. Adolescent perseverance and optimism were related to better physical health outcomes 15 to 20 years later. Overall, the data base offers a resource that contributes toward life-span studies of positive psychological and physical health.