Peers and Adolescent Risk Taking

Abstract Adolescent risk taking occurs most often when teens are in the presence of their peers. An extensive body of prior work has attempted to explain this phenomenon with respect to peer pressure, social conformity, and affiliation with deviant peers. Recent experimental work, however, suggests that peer influences on adolescent decision making may be rooted in an even more basic process by which social context alters adolescents' sensitivity to the potential rewards of risky decisions. Emerging findings from empirical studies pursuing this alternative account of peer influences on adolescent decision making are presented, along with a consideration of some key directions for future research.