Question
Teens have a reputation for making some not-so-smart decisions. Researchers have blamed those poor decisions on the immaturity of a teen’s prefrontal cortex. That is the part of the brain involved in making plans and decisions. But scientists now find the answer may be simpler: the allure1 of rewards. Rewards, even small ones, entice teens more than they do adults.
And, perhaps surprisingly, teens tend to continue doing things they once found rewarding, even after the actual payoff is long gone. Both findings come from a new study by researchers at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.
Psychologist Zachary Roper and his team worked with two groups of volunteers: 13- to 16-year olds and 20- to 35-year-old adults. Each volunteer had to play a game of sorts. During a training phase, a computer displayed six circles, each a different color. The players had to find the red or green circle. These targets had either a horizontal or vertical line inside. The remaining circles had lines at other angles. When the participant found the correct target, they had to press one of two keys on a keyboard. One key would report they had found the vertical line. The other reported finding a horizontal line.
When a volunteer hit the right key, the screen flashed the amount of the reward they had earned. For some volunteers, green circles provided a large (10-cent) reward and red circles provided a small (2-cent) reward. For other volunteers, the amounts were reversed, with red circles worth more. All other colors had no reward.
[5]By the end of this training, volunteers had learned the value of each color. But they weren’t aware that they had, notes Iowa’s Jatin Vaidya. When the scientists asked the players about the value of red versus green circles, both teens and adults had no awareness that a circle’s color had any effect on how much they had earned during any given trial.
After this training ended, it was time to begin testing in earnest.2 The scientists informed the volunteers they had a new target. Each had to report the orientation3 of the line inside a blue diamond. Again, groups of six symbols appeared on a computer screen. Only one was a diamond. The other five were still circles. In some trials, one of those circles was red or green. In other trials, there were no red or green circles.
The recruits were told to answer as quickly as possible. And for this phase of the experiment, no additional money would be earned.
The researchers now measured how long it took people to find the diamond and record their answers.
When no red or green circles were among the onscreen options, both adults and teens responded quickly. But when a red or green circle showed up, both groups initially took a bit longer. Adults, though, quickly stopped paying attention to the colored circles. Their response times sped up.
[10]Teens reacted differently. They took longer to respond whenever a red or green circle showed up. Their response times never sped up. Their attention still was drawn to the previously valued circles — even though the shapes no longer brought any reward. Clearly, the red and green circles were distracting teens from their objective.
Roper’s team reported the findings September 10 in Psychological Science.
“The study demonstrates that the attention of adolescents4 is especially drawn to rewarding information,” says Brian Anderson. A psychologist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., he was not involved with the study. These data may help explain why teens engage in risky behavior, he says.
Some behaviors, such as texting or using social media, trigger the brain’s reward system. Once the teenage brain has linked a behavior to that reward, it continues to seek the reward again and again. That’s why teens are likely to opt for the reward of social media when they should be studying. Or why they respond to texts while driving.
How can someone overcome their brain’s attempts to distract? Vaidya suggests physically removing distractions whenever possible. Shut down the phone when driving or disconnect from Wi-Fi while doing homework. When distractions are not readily available, it will be easier to focus attention on the things that matter most. Like arriving home safely.
And, perhaps surprisingly, teens tend to continue doing things they once found rewarding, even after the actual payoff is long gone. Both findings come from a new study by researchers at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.
Psychologist Zachary Roper and his team worked with two groups of volunteers: 13- to 16-year olds and 20- to 35-year-old adults. Each volunteer had to play a game of sorts. During a training phase, a computer displayed six circles, each a different color. The players had to find the red or green circle. These targets had either a horizontal or vertical line inside. The remaining circles had lines at other angles. When the participant found the correct target, they had to press one of two keys on a keyboard. One key would report they had found the vertical line. The other reported finding a horizontal line.
When a volunteer hit the right key, the screen flashed the amount of the reward they had earned. For some volunteers, green circles provided a large (10-cent) reward and red circles provided a small (2-cent) reward. For other volunteers, the amounts were reversed, with red circles worth more. All other colors had no reward.
[5]By the end of this training, volunteers had learned the value of each color. But they weren’t aware that they had, notes Iowa’s Jatin Vaidya. When the scientists asked the players about the value of red versus green circles, both teens and adults had no awareness that a circle’s color had any effect on how much they had earned during any given trial.
After this training ended, it was time to begin testing in earnest.2 The scientists informed the volunteers they had a new target. Each had to report the orientation3 of the line inside a blue diamond. Again, groups of six symbols appeared on a computer screen. Only one was a diamond. The other five were still circles. In some trials, one of those circles was red or green. In other trials, there were no red or green circles.
The recruits were told to answer as quickly as possible. And for this phase of the experiment, no additional money would be earned.
The researchers now measured how long it took people to find the diamond and record their answers.
When no red or green circles were among the onscreen options, both adults and teens responded quickly. But when a red or green circle showed up, both groups initially took a bit longer. Adults, though, quickly stopped paying attention to the colored circles. Their response times sped up.
[10]Teens reacted differently. They took longer to respond whenever a red or green circle showed up. Their response times never sped up. Their attention still was drawn to the previously valued circles — even though the shapes no longer brought any reward. Clearly, the red and green circles were distracting teens from their objective.
Roper’s team reported the findings September 10 in Psychological Science.
“The study demonstrates that the attention of adolescents4 is especially drawn to rewarding information,” says Brian Anderson. A psychologist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., he was not involved with the study. These data may help explain why teens engage in risky behavior, he says.
Some behaviors, such as texting or using social media, trigger the brain’s reward system. Once the teenage brain has linked a behavior to that reward, it continues to seek the reward again and again. That’s why teens are likely to opt for the reward of social media when they should be studying. Or why they respond to texts while driving.
How can someone overcome their brain’s attempts to distract? Vaidya suggests physically removing distractions whenever possible. Shut down the phone when driving or disconnect from Wi-Fi while doing homework. When distractions are not readily available, it will be easier to focus attention on the things that matter most. Like arriving home safely.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The new insights from the University of Iowa study highlight a significant aspect of adolescent behavior, particularly regarding decision-making and distraction. Traditional views attributed poor decision-making in teens to the ongoing development of their prefrontal cortex, critical for planning and decision-making. However, this study suggests a more straightforward explanation linked to the allure of rewards.
The researchers conducted an experiment involving two age groups—teenagers aged 13 to 16 and young adults aged 20 to 35. Participants engaged in a game where they had to identify colored circles based on their orientation and earned varying rewards depending on the color of the circles. The teenagers and adults learned the value of the circles without being consciously aware of it.
During the subsequent phase of the experiment, participants were tasked with identifying a diamond among circles, but crucially, no monetary rewards were offered for this test. Both groups exhibited slower response times when red or green circles were present, but only teens continued to be distracted by these previously reward-associated colors. While adults quickly disregarded the colored circles, teens retained their focus on them, demonstrating persistent distraction despite the absence of a reward.
Psychologist Brian Anderson noted that this propensity for distraction in teens could illuminate why they often engage in riskier behaviors. Activities like texting or social media use activate their brain's reward system, leading them to prioritize these activities over more responsible choices, such as studying or driving safely.
To combat these distractions, researchers recommend actively removing potential sources of temptation. For instance, minimizing distractions—like turning off phones while driving or disconnecting from the internet during homework sessions—can help teens better focus on their responsibilities.
Overall, this study sheds light on the challenges teens face due to their unique relationship with rewards and distractions, offering practical strategies for improving focus in an increasingly distracting world.
The researchers conducted an experiment involving two age groups—teenagers aged 13 to 16 and young adults aged 20 to 35. Participants engaged in a game where they had to identify colored circles based on their orientation and earned varying rewards depending on the color of the circles. The teenagers and adults learned the value of the circles without being consciously aware of it.
During the subsequent phase of the experiment, participants were tasked with identifying a diamond among circles, but crucially, no monetary rewards were offered for this test. Both groups exhibited slower response times when red or green circles were present, but only teens continued to be distracted by these previously reward-associated colors. While adults quickly disregarded the colored circles, teens retained their focus on them, demonstrating persistent distraction despite the absence of a reward.
Psychologist Brian Anderson noted that this propensity for distraction in teens could illuminate why they often engage in riskier behaviors. Activities like texting or social media use activate their brain's reward system, leading them to prioritize these activities over more responsible choices, such as studying or driving safely.
To combat these distractions, researchers recommend actively removing potential sources of temptation. For instance, minimizing distractions—like turning off phones while driving or disconnecting from the internet during homework sessions—can help teens better focus on their responsibilities.
Overall, this study sheds light on the challenges teens face due to their unique relationship with rewards and distractions, offering practical strategies for improving focus in an increasingly distracting world.