Decision-making in young adolescents and adults

In two experiments, 13-year-olds and college students were asked to make "risky" decisions in a game format. Analyses focused on whether adolescents and adults (a) used similar strategies for evaluating their options, (b) were equally optimistic, (c) held similar beliefs about their ability to produce outcomes, (d) were equally likely to choose the best options, and (e) had equally accurate memories of their performance. Results showed that age differences emerged along each of these dimensions, especially when the game was made more complex.