To assert that dramatic behavioral changes occur during adolescence is an understatement (Dahl, 2004; Steinberg, 2005; Somerville et al., 2009). The field has generally assumed and agreed upon the notion that these behavioral changes are largely driven by rewards, including monetary, novel and social rewards, and by extension, the reward-sensitive dopamine system. Less understood is how the reward system changes across development to encourage the reward-driven behaviors adolescents often exhibit.
