Increases in risk-taking and novelty seeking are other relatively conserved behavioral characteristics of adolescence. Notable increases in risk-taking behavior are seen between childhood and adolescence, with adolescents engaging in more risk-taking activities than adults (Steinberg, 2008). These increases in risk-taking behavior among human adolescents are associated with the motivation to experience multiple new and intense stimuli to attain potential rewards (Arnett, 1994; Trimpop et al., 1999; Steinberg, 2005). This motivation to seek out new experiences, i.e., novelty seeking behavior, has been identified as a significant contributor to current and future drug use, multiple drug use, and later abuse (Hittner & Swickert, 2006; Kelly et al., 2006).
