Peers influence adolescent reward processing, but not response inhibition

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Neuroscience

Background:

• Adolescent risk-taking is prevalent and often occurs in social contexts with peers.
• Previous research indicates peer influence enhances reward sensitivity, particularly in the striatum.
• The impact of peer presence on adolescent impulse control and cognitive control circuitry remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how peer presence affects adolescent risk-taking behavior and impulse control.
• To examine the neural mechanisms underlying peer influence on decision-making in adolescents.
• To differentiate the effects of peer presence on reward sensitivity versus cognitive control.

Main Methods:

• Adolescents completed functional neuroimaging (fMRI) during interleaved risk-taking and response-inhibition tasks.
• Social context was manipulated: participants were either alone or observed by an anonymous peer.
• Behavioral performance and brain activity in response to social context were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Adolescents in the peer condition exhibited increased risk-taking and heightened striatal activation compared to those alone.
• Striatal activity correlated with individual differences in overall risk-taking behavior.
• Peer presence did not significantly affect response inhibition or the activation of cognitive control regions.

Conclusions:

• Peer presence biases adolescents toward risk-taking by amplifying reward sensitivity, not by impairing cognitive control.
• The findings highlight the role of the striatum in mediating peer-induced risk-taking.
• Social context significantly modulates reward processing in adolescents, influencing decision-making.