Distinct age-related differences in temporal discounting and risk taking in adolescents and young adults
Abstract
Age-related differences in temporal discounting (TD) and risk taking, and their association, were examined in adolescents and young adults (n = 337) aged 12-27 years. Since monetary rewards are typically used in TD and risk-taking tasks, the association between monetary reward valuation and age and decision making in these tasks was explored as well. TD declined linearly with age, with a particularly sharp decline from 15 to 16 years. In contrast, risk taking was not correlated with age and TD. Reward valuation was not associated with TD and risk taking, and age-related differences in TD remained significant after controlling for reward valuation. Together, these findings suggest that risk taking and TD are two separate constructs with distinct age-related differences in adolescence and young adulthood.
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These results are consistent with a recent large-scale study showing that adolescents valued the same objective monetary rewards more than adults, but this did not explain their increased impatient behavior.
“Together, these results are consistent with a recent large-scale study on adolescent discounting (49), which showed that, although the adolescents valued the same objective monetary rewards more than adults, this did not explain their increased impatient behavior on the intertemporal choice task.”
From Adolescent impatience decreases with increased frontostriatal connectivity (2015) · cites this paper as [49]
Delay discounting generally decreases between young childhood and adulthood, meaning children tend to choose a smaller immediate reward over a larger delayed reward.
“Delay discounting generally decreases between young childhood and adulthood, meaning children tend to choose a smaller immediate reward over a larger delayed reward (Christakou et al., 2011; de Water et al., 2014; Green et al., 1994; Olson et al., 2007; Scheres et al., 2006; Steinberg et al., 2009).”
From Does puberty mark a transition in sensitive periods for plasticity in the associative neocortex? (2017) · cites this paper as de Water et al., 2014
Pubertal stage and hormone concentrations were not significantly associated with delay discounting in either boys or girls.
“Pubertal stage and hormone concentrations were not significantly associated with delay discounting in either boys or girls, but prepubertal children were not included in these studies, so the effect of puberty onset could not be determined (Bromberg et al., 2015; de Water et al., 2014).”
From Does puberty mark a transition in sensitive periods for plasticity in the associative neocortex? (2017) · cites this paper as de Water et al., 2014
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Self-citation
- Authors
- de Water, E., Cillessen, A. H. N., & Scheres, A.
- Affiliations
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen
- Radboud University Nijmegen (NL)
- Venue
- Child Development
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2014-09-01
- Volume
- 85
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1881-1897
- ISSN
- 0009-3920 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-8624
- OpenAlex
- W2167820042
- Cited by
- 80
- References
- 58
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 3
- FWCI
- 8.83
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Child Development (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Radboud Repository (Radboud University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (452-09-004)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Keywords
- delay discounting, risk-taking, age differences, adolescents, young adults, decision-making, impulsivity
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Adult, Age Factors, Child, Female, Humans, Male, Reward, Risk-Taking, Young Adult, Delay Discounting
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