Determinants of Rule-Breaking in Adolescence.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Learning to navigate the many rules that regulate behavior in the adult world is a key developmental goal in adolescence. Yet, adolescents are notorious rule-breakers. In this paper, we use behavioral experiments to examine how adolescent rule-breaking is impacted by situational ambiguity and social influence.

Methods

Younger (11-15 year-olds, N = 296) and older adolescents (16-19 year-olds, N = 333) recruited from high schools in the Netherlands (44% male, 54% female, 2% other) completed incentivized tasks. Each task involved a red traffic light, and participants were told that the rule was to wait until it turned green. However, by breaking the rule and crossing before the green light, they could increase their rewards. The tasks varied in two factors: situati

SUBMITTER: Hoyer K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12682245 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature