title: The dual systems model: Review, reappraisal, and reaffirmation.
abstract: According to the dual systems perspective, risk taking peaks during adolescence because activation of an early-maturing socioemotional-incentive processing system amplifies adolescents' affinity for exciting, pleasurable, and novel activities at a time when a still immature cognitive control system is not yet strong enough to consistently restrain potentially hazardous impulses. We review evidence from both the psychological and neuroimaging literatures that has emerged since 2008, when this perspective was originally articulated. Although there are occasional exceptions to the general trends, studies show that, as predicted, psychological and neural manifestations of reward sensitivity increase between childhood and adolescence, peak sometime during the late teen years, and decline thereafter, whereas psychological and neural reflections of better cognitive control increase gradually and linearly throughout adolescence and into the early 20s. While some forms of real-world risky behavior peak at a later age than predicted, this likely reflects differential opportunities for risk-taking in late adolescence and young adulthood, rather than neurobiological differences that make this age group more reckless. Although it is admittedly an oversimplification, as a heuristic device, the dual systems model provides a far more accurate account of adolescent risk taking than prior models that have attributed adolescent recklessness to cognitive deficiencies.
authors.affiliation: Brock University, Psychology Department, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada. Electronic address: eshulman@brocku.ca.
authors.forename: Elizabeth P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Shulman
authors.affiliation: Temple University, Department of Psychology, 1701 N. 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA. Electronic address: tuc69946@temple.edu.
authors.forename: Ashley R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Temple University, Department of Psychology, 1701 N. 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA. Electronic address: karol.silva@temple.edu.
authors.forename: Karol
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Temple University, Department of Psychology, 1701 N. 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA. Electronic address: grace.icenogle@temple.edu.
authors.forename: Grace
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Icenogle
authors.affiliation: Temple University, Department of Psychology, 1701 N. 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA. Electronic address: ntduell@temple.edu.
authors.forename: Natasha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Duell
authors.affiliation: Temple University, Department of Psychology, 1701 N. 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA. Electronic address: jchein@temple.edu.
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chein
authors.affiliation: Temple University, Department of Psychology, 1701 N. 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA; King Abdulaziz University, Abdullah Sulayman, Jeddah 22254, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: lds@temple.edu.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Steinberg
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008959:Models, Neurological; D012201:Reward; D012309:Risk-Taking; D000068356:Self-Control / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Adolescents; Cognitive control; Dual systems; Reward sensitivity; Risk taking; Sensation-seeking