Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 14, 2025

A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents
Published on: July 10, 2017
Testosterone and cortisol jointly mediate and modulate trust behavior in early adolescence
Rui Su1, Xuting Jiang1, Xiang Ma1
1State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Safe AI and Superalignment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
Adolescent trust decisions are influenced by hormones like cortisol and testosterone, cognitive factors such as impulsivity and theory of mind, and social context. These elements interact to shape trust in friends versus strangers.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Early adolescence involves significant neuroendocrine, neurodevelopmental, and social sensitivity changes.
- Trust decisions in adolescents are critical due to increased peer interaction and influence.
- Understanding the biological and cognitive mechanisms of trust in relation to social distance is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the interplay of hormonal, cognitive, and contextual factors in adolescent trust decision-making.
- To examine how basal cortisol and testosterone, impulsivity, theory of mind, and social context (friends vs. strangers) influence trust.
- To elucidate the mechanisms underlying trust investment and evaluation in early adolescence.
Main Methods:
- A sample of 142 adolescents (45% female, mean age 12.32 years) participated.
- Utilized the balloon analog risk task, cartoon story reasoning task, and a modified trust game.
- Assessed basal cortisol, basal testosterone, impulsivity, theory of mind, trust investment, and evaluation of return possibility towards friends and strangers.
Main Results:
- A distinct hormonal-cognitive-contextual mechanism underlies trust investment in adolescents.
- Adolescents showed a preference for trusting friends over strangers in both investment and evaluation.
- Cortisol influenced general trust directly and via impulsivity; testosterone modulated this effect and influenced strategic trust via theory of mind.
Conclusions:
- Cortisol and testosterone play significant roles in adolescent trust, interacting with cognitive processes and social context.
- Findings reveal a complex interplay of hormones, cognition, and social factors in adolescent trust decisions.
- Results offer guidance for interventions aimed at fostering healthy social development in adolescents.
More Related Videos
11:51Combining Behavioral Endocrinology and Experimental Economics: Testosterone and Social Decision Making
Published on: March 2, 2011
11:13The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
Published on: November 19, 2015
Related Concept Videos
Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development
Cognitive Development During Adolescence
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Adolescence
Socioemotional Development during Infancy
Primary Temperament Types
Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth....