Psychologist Laurence Steinberg on teen behavior

Why would a teenager with a perfect attendance record and a good attitude about school suddenly start caving into peer pressure? Temple psychologist Laurence Steinberg, an expert in adolescent behavior, thinks otherwise responsible teens make dumb decisions when they are with their friends because peer pressure has a distinct effect on how teen brains perceive risk and reward. Steinberg's team studied scans of brains of adults, college students and high school students while they played a high-risk, high-reward video game about driving. This study showed that just knowing your friends are watching can increase risky behavior.

March 16, 2011 | Detroit Free Press