Do risks matter? Variable and person-centered approaches to adolescents' problem behavior

Two limitations in research examining adolescents' risk cognitions have been the absence of developmental age group comparisons on a breadth of cognitions and the need to better characterize how cognitions influence behavior. To address these limitations, this study compared adolescent (n = 205; 52% female) and young adult (n = 274; 58% female) risk cognitions (risk probability, risk identification, risk tolerance, risk salience, and risk preference) and used variable- and person-centered approaches to explore how cognitions affect problem behavior. Adolescents generally reported lower risk-related cognitions than young adults. Further, risk probability, the cognition typically assessed in research, did not exert an independent effect on behavior. Adolescents and young adults were characterized by two similar cognition profiles, but only adolescents were characterized by a third, maladaptive profile, Low Identification/High Preference, reflecting low risk identification and risk salience and high risk preference. Interventions should arguably target these three cognitions within at-risk youth

Throwing caution to the wind: Callous-unemotional traits and risk-taking in adolescents

Developmental research suggests that adolescents may be highly influenced by their peers to take risks. Although youths with callous-unemotional (CU) traits engage in high-risk behaviors in the form of antisocial behavior and aggression, little is known about their decision making, particularly when their peers are present. Youths high on CU traits may be most susceptible to influence, especially when rewards are involved, or they may be highly rational relative to their low CU peers and less susceptible to social peer pressures. The present study used a gambling task with 675 youths (female n = 348), ages 16 to 20 years (M = 16.9, SD = .8). The majority were White British (64%). We experimentally manipulated whether youths made decisions in groups with peers or individually. All members of the group reported on their CU traits. Using multilevel modeling to control for group-level effects, youths with higher levels of CU traits were found to be less sensitive to accruing rewards on the gambling task than youths low on these traits. When in groups, male participants with higher levels of CU traits made quicker decisions to take risks than male participants lower on CU traits, particularly after punishment. Youths with CU traits are distinct in showing a lack of emotion and this may facilitate heightened rationality in responding to rewards. However, results suggest that male adolescents who are high on CU traits may react to the possible frustration of losing by attempting to gain back rewards quickly when their peers are watching

Developing Social-Emotional Skills for the Labor Market: The PRACTICE Model

Although there is a general agreement in the literature of the importance of social-emotional skills for labor market success, there is little consensus on the specific skills that should be acquired or how and when to teach them. The psychology, economics, policy research, and program implementation literatures all touch on these issues, but they are not sufficiently integrated to provide policy direction. The objective of this paper is to provide a coherent framework and related policies and programs that bridge the psychology, economics, and education literature, specifically that related to skills employers value, non-cognitive skills that predict positive labor market outcomes, and skills targeted by psycho-educational prevention and intervention programs. The paper uses as its base a list of social-emotional skills that employers value, classifies these into eight subgroups (summarized by PRACTICE), then uses the psychology literature—drawing from the concepts of psycho-social and neuro-biological readiness and age-appropriate contexts—to map the age and context in which each skill subset is developed. The paper uses examples of successful interventions to illustrate the pedagogical process. The paper concludes that the social-emotional skills employers value can be effectively taught when aligned with the optimal stage for each skill development, middle childhood is the optimal stage for development of PRACTICE skills, and a broad international evidence base on effective program interventions at the right stage can guide policy makers to incorporate social-emotional learning into their school curriculum

Do Socially Anxious Teens use the Internet More? An Experience Sampling Method Study Exploring Technology Use and Mood

The current study examined mood and internet use in 109 young people (age M = 14.7yrs; 69% female) using Experience Sampling Methodology (ESM) over a 7-day period. Participants were classified as experiencing low or high social anxiety (LSA and HSA) and their mood, internet frequency, and online coping were compared. Young people high in social anxiety reported greater average worry, sadness and loneliness, than low socially anxious young people, who reported greater average happiness. In addition, social anxiety was found to be a positive predictor of online frequency and online coping in young people. Descriptive snapshots were also generated to illustrate the differing mood landscapes and internet use of young people

Driving under the influence of risky peers: An experimental study of adolescent risk taking

Both passive and active social influences may affect adolescents' dangerous driving. In this study, we used an experimental paradigm to delineate these two influences with actual peers. Adolescents completed a simulated driving task, and we measured risk preferences of each member of the peer group. We used hierarchical linear modeling to partition variance in risky decisions. Adolescents experienced many more crashes when they had “passengers” present who reported a strong preference for risk taking and who actively provided decision-making guidance. Although youth in the passive peer condition were also influenced by the riskiness of their peers, this relation was less strong relative to the active condition. We discuss the need for interventions focussing on active and passive peer influence

Antisocial behaviour during the teenage years: Understanding developmental risks

Individuals are far more likely to engage in antisocial behaviour during adolescence than any other period of their life. This paper presents selected results from two studies which used secondary data analysis to provide a theoretically informed picture of youths’ decision-making process in relation to delinquency. Study 1 focused on changes in adolescents’ perceived rewards and delinquency involvement over four years. Results showed that high levels of perceived rewards go hand in hand with high levels of delinquency, but perceived antisocial rewards ‘topped out’ by age 14, suggesting that the best time to intervene is during early adolescence or late childhood. Study 2 focused on anger control. Youth who were highly delinquency-involved were especially likely to report surges in anger on days when they experienced a stressor, pointing to a need for delinquency prevention programs aimed at emotion control, including cognitive reappraisal. Improving these skills should enhance youths’ ability to navigate risk during the teenage years

Technology can sting when reality bites: Adolescents' frequent online coping is ineffective with momentary stress

The fact that youth widely engage with the online space in order to improve their emotional health has been lost amongst the debate surrounding adolescents' technology use and associated well-being. Two studies focused on adolescents' use of technology to cope with stressors in daily life. Focus groups (Study 1; n = 16) indicated that youth readily identify using technology to cope and perceive it as helpful for emotional relief. Experience sampling participants (Study 2; n = 156) completed a baseline assessment of online coping and mental health, and one week of reports, five times daily, on their technology use, stress, and emotions. Multilevel regression results indicated that across their daily lives, youth who widely endorsed using online strategies to cope responded more negatively to stressors and displayed difficulties in recovering from worry and jealousy. Results held even controlling for use of technology, typical number of stressors, and mental health. Findings highlight the potential shortcomings and comorbid vulnerabilities for youth who frequently turn to the online environment to seek support, information, or distraction

“It’s a rush”: Psychosocial content of antisocial decision making.

Changes in the juvenile justice system have led to more serious sanctioning of adolescents. A salient question for understanding whether such sanctions are appropriate pertains to whether adolescents are less mature than adults in making decisions that lead to antisocial activity. The current study codes for psychosocial content of antisocial decision making in adolescents (ages 12-17), young adults (18-23), and adults (35-63). Results suggest that adolescents and young adults display increased psychosocial content in their antisocial decision making relative to adults. However, the unique effect of psychosocial content on self-report criminal behavior was significantly greater among adolescents than among adults, whereas for young adults this was not the case. Implications for legal policy are discussed

Addressing gaps in the maturity of judgment literature: Age differences and delinquency.

Over the past decade, a majority of states have legislated to expand their capacity to try adolescents as adults [Griffin (2003). Trying and sentencing juveniles as adults: An analysis of state transfer and blended sentencing laws. Pittsburgh, PA: National Center for Juvenile Justice]. In response, researchers have investigated factors that may affect adolescent culpability [Steinberg and Scott (Am Psychol 58(12):1009-1018, 2003)]. Research on immature judgment posits that psychosocial influences on adolescent decision processes results in reduced criminal responsibility [Cauffman and Steinberg (Behav Sci Law 18(6):741-760, 2000); Scott, Reppucci, and Woolard (Law Hum Behav 19(3):221-244, 1995); Steinberg and Cauffman (Law Hum Behav 20(3):249-272, 1996)]. The current study utilizes hypothetical vignettes and standardized measures of maturity of judgment (responsibility, temperance, and perspective) to examine gaps in previous maturity of judgment findings (Cauffman and Steinberg 2000). This work suggests that adolescents (ages 14-17) display less responsibility and perspective relative to college students (ages 18-21), young-adults (ages 22-27), and adults (ages 28-40). Further, this research finds no maturity of judgment differences between delinquent and non-delinquent youth, but does find significant maturity of judgment differences between high and low delinquency male youth. Finally, results show that maturity of judgment predicts self-reported delinquency beyond the contributions of age, gender, race, education level, SES, and antisocial decision making. Implications for the juvenile justice system are discussed

Maturity of judgment

Abstract not availabl