Beyond risk reduction: Exploring the relation of cognitive control with adolescent positive and negative risk-taking.

ABSTRACT: Taking risks is a crucial part of adolescent development, encompassing both positive (socially valued) and negative (potentially life-threatening) behaviors. While cognitive control is known to reduce harmful risk behaviors, its relationship with beneficial risk-taking remains unclear. This study investigated how multiple components of cognitive control relate to both types of risk-taking and explored learning as a potential pathway to adaptive risk-taking. We assessed 127 adolescents (ages 12-18, 65% female, 60% White) using experimental cognitive tasks, self-report measures, and an adapted balloon analog risk task. Working memory and proactive control were associated with reduced negative risk-taking (NRT) but not positive risk-taking (PRT). Effortful control showed a unique divergent pa

SUBMITTER: Lee H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12644316 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature