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Cited by 691Neural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentSubstance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes

Adolescent risk taking, impulsivity, and brain development: Implications for prevention

Open access
Romer, Daniel·2010·Developmental Psychobiology
DOI 10.1002/dev.20442PMC PMC3445337
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Abstract

Individual differences in impulsivity underlie a good deal of the risk taking that is observed during adolescence, and some of the most hazardous forms of this behavior are linked to impulsivity traits that are evident early in development. However, early interventions appear able to reduce the severity and impact of these traits by increasing control over behavior and persistence toward valued goals, such as educational achievement. One form of impulsivity, sensation seeking, rises dramatically during adolescence and increases risks to healthy development. However, a review of the evidence for the hypothesis that limitations in brain development during adolescence restrict the ability to control impulsivity suggests that any such limitations are subtle at best. Instead, it is argued that lack of experience with novel adult behavior poses a much greater risk to adolescents than structural deficits in brain maturation. Continued translational research will help to identify strategies that protect youth as they transition to adulthood. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 52: 263–276, 2010

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This review argues that adolescent risk taking is not primarily caused by structural deficits in prefrontal brain maturation; it reflects early-emerging impulsivity traits plus a normative rise in sensation seeking. It concludes that lack of experience with adult-like behavior and peer/affect processes are major risks, and that experience and interventions can reduce impulsivity and risk.

Key findings

  • Adolescent risk taking is not uniform: in the Seattle Social Development Project, about 70% reported no binge drinking, while 3% had high persistent binge drinking from age 13 to 18, 4% began during adolescence, and 23% began at age 18. In Nagin and Tremblay’s Montreal high-risk male cohort, 17% never engaged in aggression, 80% of early aggressors declined, and 4% showed high persistent aggression into adolescence. Biglan and Cody found 18% of youth ages 12 to 20 accounted for about two thirds of drunk driving and 88% of criminal arrests.
  • Impulsivity is multidimensional: acting without thinking, impatience/delay discounting, and sensation seeking. In a Philadelphia community sample of 387 youth ages 10 to 12, acting without thinking and sensation seeking (correlated at r = .30) completely explained the relation between problem behaviors and risk taking, with no significant residual relation.
  • Sensation seeking rises during adolescence, peaking around age 16 in females and about age 19 in males, and is linked to dopaminergic activation of the nucleus accumbens. It does not appear to reflect executive-function deficit; in the Philadelphia trajectory study, sensation seeking was positively correlated with working memory performance.
  • Affect evaluation and peer influences accounted for over half of the variation in tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use, and about half of the variation in adolescent seat-belt non-use. Evidence for PFC maturation limits is weak or contrary: Berns et al. found risk taking positively correlated with white matter development, and DeBellis et al. found more advanced corpus callosum myelination in youth with alcohol disorders.

Methods

  • Narrative review and theoretical synthesis, not a new primary study. The author reviews developmental neuroscience, longitudinal risk-behavior trajectories, behavioral genetics, animal models, and intervention evaluations.
  • Cited data include the Seattle Social Development Project, Nagin and Tremblay’s Montreal high-risk male cohort, a Philadelphia community sample of 387 youth ages 10 to 12, national samples of youth ages 14 to 22, the Monitoring the Future Study, the ACE Study, primate and rodent studies, and intervention trials.
  • Main analysis is qualitative integration of evidence to argue that early impulsivity and sensation seeking, rather than structural PFC immaturity alone, explain adolescent risk taking.

Limitations

  • The paper states that “space limitations preclude a detailed examination of interventions in the adolescent years.” It also states that evidence is sparse on whether sensation seeking is associated with lack of executive control.
  • The paper states there is “virtually no direct evidence” linking natural maturation in brain structure during adolescence to impulsive behavior, and notes that neuroimaging cannot definitively characterize mechanisms such as synaptic pruning or myelination; age comparisons are confounded by experience.
  • Evident from the text: this is a selective narrative review advancing the author’s argument, not a systematic review, and it relies on cited studies rather than reanalyzing their data.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1002/dev.20442

Cites

97 of 97 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Claims the paper makes

0 of 99 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged

  • Findingcitation

    A small proportion of adolescents account for a large share of serious risk taking.

    “a small proportion of adolescent account for a large share of the serious forms of risk taking”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Biglan and Cody (2003)

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Findingcitation

    Differences in delay discounting are correlated with variation in working memory capacity and IQ.

    “differences in delay discounting are correlated with variation in working memory capacity and IQ”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Shamosh, DeYoung, Green, Reis, Johnson, Conway, et al., 2008

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Findingcitation

    Children with ADHD perform worse on response inhibition tasks such as flanker tasks.

    “Children with ADHD do less well on such tasks”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Vaidya, Bunge, Dudukoric, Zalecki, Elliot, Gabrieli, 2005

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Findingcitation

    Children who scored well on the marshmallow task continued to exhibit patience, such as higher academic performance, during adolescence.

    “children who scored well on this task continued to exhibit patience on such indicators as higher academic performance during adolescence”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Mischel and colleagues (1988)

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Findingcitation

    Youth who engage in early risk taking, such as drug use and aggressive behavior, exhibit higher levels of impulsive behavior as early as age 3.

    “youth who engage in early risk taking, such as drug use and aggressive behavior, exhibit higher levels of impulsive behavior as early as age 3”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 3 sources checked
    • cites Caspi & Silva, 1995

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites Caspi, Henry, McGee, Moffitt, & Silva, 1995

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    • cites Caspi, Moffitt, Newman, & Silva, 1996

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims. 41
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 9

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingnone given

    Sensation seeking, one form of impulsivity, rises dramatically during adolescence and increases risks to healthy development.

    “One form of impulsivity, sensation seeking, rises dramatically during adolescence and increases risks to healthy development”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingcitation

    Biglan and Cody found that 18% of youth ages 12 to 20 accounted for about two thirds of drunk driving and 88% of criminal arrests.

    “18% of youth ages 12 to 20 accounted for about two thirds of drunk driving and 88% of criminal arrests”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Biglan and Cody (2003)

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingcitation

    In that cohort, 4% began binge drinking during adolescence and 23% began later at age 18.

    “A third group of youth (4%) began to engage in binge drinking during adolescence and a fourth much larger group (23%) began later at age 18”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingnone given

    Sensation seekers attach favorable affect to novel and exciting experiences and seek out peers with the same interests.

    “sensation seekers not only attach favorable affect to novel and exciting experiences, they also seek out peers who have the same interests”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingcitation

    In a longitudinal study of high-risk children ages 2 to 8, parental neglect before age 2 predicted aggressive behavior at age 8, while later neglect did not.

    “parental neglect prior to age 2 was predictive of aggressive behavior at age 8. Later neglect did not predict aggressive behavior at this early age”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Kotch et al., 2008

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    Female youth peak in sensation seeking around age 16, while male youth peak around age 19.

    “Whereas female youth peak around age 16, male youth do not reach their peak until about age 19”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingnone given

    In female youth, sexual abuse is highly related to other stressors and linked to earlier age at first intercourse and unintended pregnancy.

    “In female youth, experience of sexual abuse was highly related to exposure to other sources of stress and was linked to earlier age at first intercourse, and unintended pregnancy”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingreasoning

    Mothers who experience heightened stress treat their newborns with less nurturance, attributed to a defensive reaction to the environment.

    “Mothers who experience heightened stress treat their newborns with less nurturance, a process that is attributed to a defensive reaction to the environment”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingcitation

    Abused offspring exhibit lower serotonin in cerebral spinal fluid, an indicator linked to increased impulsivity.

    “abused offspring exhibit lower levels of serotonin in cerebral spinal fluid, an indicator that has been linked to increased impulsivity”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites McCormack, Newman, Higley, Maestripieri, & Sanchez, 2009

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    Overall sensation seeking is greater in males than females, and males show a prolonged period of change.

    “The overall level of sensation seeking is greater in males than in females, and males exhibit a prolonged period of change in this trait”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    In the model, both sensation seeking and peer influence converge on affect evaluation and produce more change in behavior through this path than peer influence alone.

    “the path weights linking the factors in the model suggest that both sensation seeking and peer influence converge on affect evaluation and produce more change in behavior through this path than through peer influence alone”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingreasoning

    In evaluating affect attached to smoking, drinking alcohol, and smoking marijuana, judgments of favorable affect and risk are strongly inversely related and form one factor strongly related to use of each drug.

    “in evaluating the affect attached to smoking, drinking alcohol, and smoking marijuana, judgments of favorable affect and risk are strongly inversely related to each other and form one factor that is strongly related to use of each drug”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingcitation

    The short allele of the serotonin transporter gene enhances the effects of maternal abuse, consistent with human research.

    “the short allele of the serotonin transporter gene enhances the effects of maternal abuse, a finding consistent with research in humans who experience abuse during childhood”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Caspi, Sugden, Moffitt, Taylor, Craig, Harrington, et al., 2003

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingcitation

    Individuals with superior IQ began cortical thinning later than those with normal IQ.

    “individuals with superior IQ began the thinning process later than those with normal IQ”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Shaw and colleagues (2006)

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingnone given

    Sensation seeking does not appear inversely related to working memory or response inhibition and may be somewhat positively related to working memory.

    “sensation seeking does not appear to be inversely related to either of these executive functions and may actually be somewhat positively related to working memory ability”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingcitation

    Holding IQ constant, cortical thinning from ages 5 to 11 was associated with greater improvement in vocabulary, an effect driven by learning rather than brain maturation.

    “holding IQ constant, Sowell and colleagues (2004) found that cortical thinning from ages 5 to 11 was associated with greater improvement in vocabulary, an effect that would seem to be driven by learning rather than brain maturation”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Sowell and colleagues (2004)

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Adolescents have long been described as excessively prone to risk taking and impulsivity, as shown by drug use, unintentional injuries, and unprotected sexual activity.

    “adolescents have long been described as excessively prone to risk taking and impulsivity as exemplified by drug use, unintentional injuries (especially car accidents), and unprotected sexual activity”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Arnett, 1992

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

    Interpretationnone given

    The significance of these maturational changes has not yet been established.

    “The significance of these maturational changes has yet to be established”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationnone given

    Impulsivity is multidimensional and does not manifest as a single trait.

    “the tendency is multidimensional and does not manifest as a single trait”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    These age trends suggest that adolescents do not uniformly engage in high-risk behaviors and that a major source of adolescent risk taking is present before adolescence.

    “these age trends suggest that adolescents do not uniformly engage in high-risk behaviors and that a major source of adolescent risk taking is present prior to the adolescent period”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Adolescent risk taking is not a uniform phenomenon, and individual differences dominate its emergence during adolescence.

    “adolescent risk taking is not a uniform phenomenon, and individual differences dominate the emergence of such behavior during adolescence”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    This selection process creates a social environment that encourages risk taking and enhances the favorable affect attached to novel experiences.

    “This selection process creates a social environment that not only encourages risk taking, but that also enhances the favorable affect that is attached to novel experiences”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Interpretationcitation

    Romer and Hennessy suggested that the influence of sensation seeking is mediated by the same processes underlying adult decision making, namely the use of affect as the basis for evaluating behavioral alternatives.

    “Romer and Hennessy (2007) suggested that the influence of sensation seeking is mediated by the same processes that underlie adult decision making, namely the use of affect as the basis for evaluating behavioral alternatives”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Romer and Hennessy (2007)

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    The affect heuristic is a robust and simple decision rule that relies on the dominant affective reaction to a response option as the criterion for evaluating its reward potential.

    “the affect heuristic is a robust and simple decision rule that relies on the dominant affective reaction to a response option as the criterion for evaluating its reward potential”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Finucan, Alhakami, Slovic, & Johnson, 2000

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites Slovic, Finucane, Peters, & MacGregor, 2002

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Use of the affect heuristic requires little deliberation and can guide behavior without extensive cognitive control.

    “Because it requires very little deliberation, it can guide behavior without the need for extensive cognitive control”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    The more favorable the affect attached to an option, the less risk is associated with it.

    “the more favorable the affect attached to an option, the less risk is associated with it”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Moderate stimulant doses can improve executive functioning and working memory in children with ADHD and thereby improve academic performance.

    “Klingberg (2009) suggests that moderate doses of stimulants can improve executive functioning in general and working memory in particular in children suffering from ADHD and thereby improve their academic performance.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Klingberg (2009)

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Computer-based training can improve working memory and reduce ADHD symptoms in children with ADHD.

    “Klingberg and colleagues (2005) have also developed a protocol for children with ADHD that can improve working memory and reduce symptoms of ADHD using computer-based training.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Klingberg and colleagues (2005)

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationnone given

    Two early intervention approaches have been successful: working with parents at risk of maltreating children, and later working with families or children in school settings.

    “There are two forms of early intervention that have been tested with success. One involves intervening with parents who are at risk for maltreating their children and thereby preventing adverse outcomes of such treatment on offspring. The other is to intervene later with families and children either together or just with the children in school settings.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Interpretationcitation

    If training improved adolescent decision making, that would challenge the maturation hypothesis, which predicts training cannot compensate for insufficient brain maturation.

    “If appropriate training could produce better decision making in adolescents, it would argue against the maturation hypothesis, which would predict that training would be inadequate in the absence of adequate brain maturation.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Bunge and Crone (2009)

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationnone given

    The affect heuristic requires little deliberation and appears available for use by the beginning of adolescence if not earlier.

    “the affect heuristic requires little deliberation and would appear to be available for use by the beginning of adolescence if not earlier”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Such treatment is likely to impair children's brain development and lead to poorer school and adolescent adaptation.

    “This treatment is then likely to produce non-optimal brain development in children, leading to poor adaption in school and later in adolescence.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Adolescent risk taking is not a universal phenomenon, and individual differences related to at least three types of impulsivity underlie such behavior.

    “adolescent risk taking is not a universal phenomenon and that individual differences related to at least three types of impulsivity underlie such behavior in adolescents”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    The good behavior game had lasting effects at ages 19-21 among initially highest-risk aggressive and uncontrolled youth, with lower antisocial personality disorder rates.

    “Follow-up data at ages 19 to 21 revealed remarkably long-lasting effects on those who exhibited the highest rates of aggressive and uncontrolled behavior prior to intervention. In particular, rates of anti-social personality disorder remained lower in the highest risk youth at the follow-up.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Petras, Kellam, Brown, Muthen, Ialongo, & Poduska, 2008

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  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Impulse-control strategies can be trained in elementary school children to improve executive function and reduce impulsivity.

    “Other research with children in the elementary years indicates that impulse control strategies can be trained that improve executive function and reduce impulsivity (Barry, & Welsh, 2007; Riggs, Greenberg, Kusche, & Pentz, 2006).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Barry, & Welsh, 2007

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites Riggs, Greenberg, Kusche, & Pentz, 2006

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  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Some government media campaigns unintentionally suggested that many youths use drugs, which can make peers' drug use seem exciting.

    “For example, some media interventions sponsored by the government have inadvertently transmitted the message that many youth are using drugs, a message that can increase the perception that peers find drugs exciting (Fishbein, Hall-Jamieson, Zimmer, von Haeften, & Nabi, 2002; Hornik, Jacobsohn, Orwin, Piesse, & Kalton, 2008).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Fishbein, Hall-Jamieson, Zimmer, von Haeften, & Nabi, 2002

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites Hornik, Jacobsohn, Orwin, Piesse, & Kalton, 2008

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationcitation

    These preschool programs seem to improve cognitive and behavioral skills such as persistence and self-regulation, which are inversely related to impulsivity.

    “These programs appear to influence cognitive and behavioral skills, such as greater persistence and self-regulation that are inversely related to impulsivity.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites A. Reynolds & Temple, 2008

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Interpretationcitation

    An alternative reading of Eshel et al. is that older people show more PFC activation when they make ill-advised choices.

    “An alternative interpretation is that older individuals exhibit greater PFC activation than younger ones when making ill-advised decisions.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Eshel, Nelson, Blair, Pine, & Ernst (2007)

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    The reward cue used by Galvan et al. could vary in excitement and interest by age, which makes their results hard to interpret.

    “These results were somewhat difficult to interpret, however, given the use of a reward cue that could easily differ in excitement value and interest as a function of age (a picture of a cute pirate in different poses).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Galvan et al. (2006)

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Reviews of intensive preschool programs show improved academic performance, school retention, and fewer adolescent problem behaviors that carry incarceration risk.

    “For example, reviews of intensive preschool programs (A. Reynolds & Temple, 2008), such as the High/Scope Perry Preschool project and the Chicago Child-Parent Preschool Program indicate that such interventions improve academic performance, keep children in school, and reduce adolescent problem behaviors that risk incarceration.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites A. Reynolds & Temple, 2008

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  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationcitation

    Evidence in support of delay in PFC myelination as a risk factor for problem behavior in youth is absent and contrary to what would be expected.

    “evidence in support of delay in PFC myelination as a risk factor for problem behavior in youth is not only absent but also contrary to what would be expected”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Visitation support helps high-risk parents cope with stress and reduces their transmission of stress reactions to children.

    “However, parental support during visitation with high-risk parents enables them to cope better with stressors and to reduce the tendency to pass on stress reactions to children.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

    Interpretationreasoning

    These training strategies would probably fail if adolescent brain maturation blocked adaptation to increased sensation seeking or other risk-taking impulses.

    “These strategies would be unlikely to be successful if brain maturation processes during adolescence prevented successful adaptation to rises in sensation seeking or other risk taking impulses.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Graduated licensing lowers crash rates and serious injuries, with effects related to the number of restrictions a state imposes.

    “Evidence of the effectiveness of this strategy indicates that it reduces crash rates and serious injuries and does so in a manner responsive to the number of restrictions in place in a state (Morrissey, Grabowski, Dee, & Campbell, 2006).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Morrissey, Grabowski, Dee, & Campbell, 2006

      Not checked in the free run.

    • Rests on an assumption: Driving is a complex behavior that requires experience to master.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    In Eshel et al., expected values were not equated, so the risky option was always worse than the less risky option.

    “In an interesting design decision, the researchers did not keep the expected values of the two types of options constant. Choosing the risky alternative was always disadvantageous compared to the less risky alternative.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Eshel, Nelson, Blair, Pine, & Ernst (2007)

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Program evaluations show that children in the nurse visitation program do better in school and have fewer psychiatric symptoms, including conduct disorder.

    “Evaluations of the program indicate that children perform better in school and experience fewer psychiatric symptoms, including lower rates of conduct disorder.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites David Olds and colleagues (1998)

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Spear argues that adolescent experiences can customize the maturing brain, and depending on their nature and timing, this customization can be both an opportunity and a vulnerability.

    “As noted by Spear (2009), Experiences occurring during adolescence may serve to customize the maturing brain in a way commensurate with those experiences. Depending on the nature of those experiences, their timing, and hence their consequences, this customizing of the brain can be viewed as an opportunity, as well as a vulnerability. (308).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Spear (2009)

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationcitation

    The findings suggest that excessive risk-taking experience helps high sensation seekers develop greater patience, which reduces risk taking.

    “This finding suggests that experience gained from excessive risk taking enables high sensation seekers to develop greater patience, a factor that reduces risk taking.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Romer et al., 2010

      Not checked in the free run.

48 of 48

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The national samples used to observe sensation seeking are representative of US youth for the purpose of describing age-related changes.

    “We have observed this rise in sensation seeking in national samples of youth ages 14 to 22”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Driving is a complex behavior that requires experience to master.

    “This strategy is based on the idea that driving is a complex behavior that takes experience to master.”
2 of 2

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • The interaction between serotonin and dopamine is linked to the addiction pathway and has an impact on impulsivity.

    “Particularly, the interaction between serotonin and dopamine has been studied and linked to the addiction pathway having an impact on impulsivity.”

    From The Impact of Social Media & Technology on Child and Adolescent Mental Health (2025) · cites this paper as [26]

    In “Changes in Impulsivity during Adolescence” (page unavailable), Romer links dopamine release to sensation seeking, a form of impulsivity. In “The Role of Early Stressors in Predisposing Children to Adolescent Risk Taking” (page unavailable), he separately links lower serotonin levels to increased impulsivity. Neither passage describes an interaction between serotonin and dopamine or links that interaction to an addiction pathway. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Impulsivity is multidimensional and includes at least three separate components: acting without thinking, impatience, and sensation or novelty seeking.

    “Impulsivity can be broken down into at least three independent components: acting without thinking, impatience, and sensation/novelty seeking (6, 8, 9).”

    From Adolescent impatience decreases with increased frontostriatal connectivity (2015) · cites this paper as [6]

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • Study cited as 2009 but listed as 2011

    Minor

    The in-text citation gives 2009 for the Romer-Betancourt-Brodsky-Giannetta-Yang-Hurt study, while the matching reference lists 2011.

1 of 1

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 4

  1. Dunlop S., 2009, An integrative model of youth seatbelt non‐use: The roles of sensation seeking, affective evaluations, and media use
  2. Johnston L. D., 2006, Monitoring the future: National survey results on drug use, 19
  3. Patterson G. R., 1992, Antisocial boys
  4. Zucker R. A., 2006, Developmental psychopathology: Volume three: Risk, disorder, and adaptation, 620

Cited by

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Related

Authors
Romer, D.
Venue
Developmental Psychobiology
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2010-02-19
Volume
52
Issue
3
Pages
263-276
ISSN
  • 0012-1630 (ISSN-L)
  • 1098-2302
DOI
10.1002/dev.20442
PMC
PMC3445337
OpenAlex
W2049685310
Semantic Scholar
c5d85e0046c1dec06fd677750d1f32a699330153
Cited by
691
References
97
Citations by year
2026: 38 · 2025: 63 · 2024: 59 · 2023: 46 · 2022: 47 · 2021: 41 · 2020: 99 · 2019: 55 · 2018: 46 · 2017: 27 · 2016: 43 · 2015: 46 · 2014: 30 · 2013: 19 · 2012: 13
FWCI
1.13
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations
  • Developmental Psychobiology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA018913)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
Keywords
adolescent risk-taking, impulsivity, sensation seeking, brain development, individual differences, early intervention, prevention, coming of age, goal persistence, academic performance, behavioral control
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Age Factors, Brain, Exploratory Behavior, Humans, Impulsive Behavior, Risk Factors, Risk-Taking, Time Factors, Treatment Outcome, Adolescent Development

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Claims read by deepseek-v4.1-flash under definition version 3 (extract-v3) on 2026-10-07.

Classified by jev-1.13-20260917 (gold-guideline-v0.2) on 2026-10-07.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

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