Teen brain study featured on WHYY-FM

Adolescents take risks when they are with friends. New findings from Temple researchers suggest why. Brain scans showed the reward center in the teens' brains lit up when they took risks in a simulated driving game while their friends watched. "Simply the awareness that you were being observed by peers, if you were an adolescent, influenced decisions about risk and the activity of underlying brain systems," said Temple psychologist Jason Chein.
Feb. 3, 2011 | WHYY-FM