Barkley-Levenson & Galvan

Pre-adult Development

What is meant by risk-taking behaviour?

engaging in behaviour that offers a potential reward but carries a risk of negative consequences

Give 2 examples of risk-taking behaviour in adolescents:

alcohol/drug use and sexual risk-taking

What is the role of the prefrontal cortex in decision making?

it’s involved in executive functions, including planning and impulsive control, helping individuals evaluate risks and make decisions

What is the role of the ventral striatum in reward processing?

it’s involved in reward processing, including anticipating rewards and motivating reward-seeking behaviour

What is meant by expected value (EV)?

the predicted or anticipated value of a choice

Why might adolescents be more sensitive to rewards than adults?

because reward-related brain regions in adolescents, such as the ventral striatum, can respond strongly to rewarding outcomes. Meanwhile, the prefrontal cortex, which helps regulate impulses and evaluate consequences, is still developing.

What was already known about adolescent brain activity and reward sensitivity before Barkley-Levenson and Galván's study?

adolescence is associated with increased reward sensitivity and risk-taking behaviour

What was the aim of the Barkley-Levenson and Galván study?

to investigate whether adolescents attach more value to rewards than adults by examining neural responses to risk-taking scenarios (gambles) with different expected values

How many adolescents and adults took part in the study, and what were their age ranges?

19 adults (age 25-30), 22 adolescents (age 13-17)

What research method and design were used in the Barkley-Levenson and Galván study?

quasi experiment, independent measures design

What brain-imaging technique did Barkley-Levenson and Galván use to measure brain activity?

fMRI scanner

Describe the gambling task participants completed during the brain scan (procedure)

• During the real scan they completed a gambling task and were given $20 to play with

• There were 144 potential gambles, participants decided whether to accept or deny each hypothetical coin toss

• There were 24 win/win trials and 24 lose/lose trials

How did the researchers measure participants' behavioural responses during the gambling task?

the researchers recorded participants' decisions to accept or reject each gamble, allowing them to measure the proportion of gambles accepted at different expected values

How did increasing expected value affect participants' willingness to accept gambles?

as the expected value of a gamble increased, participants were more likely to accept it. This suggests that participants were sensitive to the potential gains and losses when making their decisions.

Which brain region showed greater activation in adolescents as expected value increased?

ventral striatum

What happened to activity in the superior medial prefrontal cortex as expected value increased?

activity increased as expected value increased

What did the researchers find when they compared adolescents with adults who accepted a similar number of gambles?

• even when adolescents and adults accepted a similar number of gambles, their brain activity differed

• adolescents showed greater activity in the ventral striatum, suggesting they may process rewards differently from adults

What conclusion did the researchers draw about adolescent risk-taking?

adolescents may experience and respond to rewards more intensely than adults, which can affect decision-making and increase the likelihood of risk-taking

How does this study help explain the relationship between brain development and risk-taking in adolescence?

• During adolescence, the brain's reward-related regions, such as the ventral striatum, may respond more strongly to potential rewards.

• Brain regions involved in decision-making and impulse control, such as the prefrontal cortex, are still developing.

• This difference in development may make adolescents more sensitive to rewards, potentially increasing their likelihood of engaging in risky behaviour.