of probability (Acredolo et al., 1989). Furthermore, there is little evidence that adolescents actually perceive themselves as invulnerable or underestimate risk; in fact, they often overestimate risk, such as the chance they will become pregnant within a year, go to jail, or die young (de Bruin et al., 2007). Finally, any cognitive explanation for adolescent risk-taking must account for the fact that children take fewer risks and yet are less cognitively developed than adolescents.
