To the extent that a goal of research on brain development is to better understand adolescent behavior, it is important to complement the neurobiological studies with both experimental and field research designed to examine whether the basic principles of development identified in the lab have parallels in the real world. In order to do this, my colleagues and I conducted a large cross-sectional study of 935 individuals between the ages of 10 and 30 that tests these very hypotheses. Our findings indicate that reward sensitivity, as indexed on the Iowa Gambling Task (Cauffman, et al., in press); preference for immediate rewards, as indexed by performance on a delay discounting task (Steinberg, et al., 2009); and sensation-seeking, as indexed by self report and performance in a video driving game (Steinberg, et al., 2008), follow a ⋂-shaped function, increasing between preadolescence and mid-adolescence, peaking between 14 and 16, and then declining. In contrast, impulse control, as indexed by self report and unhurried decision-making during the Tower of London task (Steinberg et al., 2008); anticipation of future consequences, as indicated by self report
