Discussion
Our findings suggest that adolescents can show remarkable restraint in controlling habitual responses but tend to failwhen attempting to control habitual responses to salient positive
cues in the environment. Specifically, we showed that adolescents have impulse control that is comparable to or even better than that of some adults in neutral contexts (Fig. 1). However, in emotional contexts, adolescents’ impulse-control ability is severely taxed relative to that of
children and adults (Fig. 3). This behavioral pattern is paralleled by exaggerated responses in reward-related circuitry that presumably are difficult to regulate because of less topdown
control from still-developing prefrontal connections in teenagers. This tension between motivational and control processes during adolescence can vary by individual, leading to
enhanced or diminished self-control. To say that the adolescent is “all gasoline, no brakes, and no steering wheel” is to do a disservice to this essential phase of typical development. Indeed, if the objective of adolescence is to gain independence from the family unit, then providing opportunities for adolescents to engage in new responsibilities is essential. Without opportunities and experiences to help optimally shape the adolescent’s brain and behavior, the objectives of this developmental phase will not easily be met.