Adolescence, the phase of the lifespan between childhood and adulthood, is a period of life associated with wide-ranging social, emotional, and cognitive development. During this time, there are normative changes in social attunement, reward-related motivation, and future oriented thinking. One manifestation of these complex processes in an increase in risk taking behavior. Excessive amounts of risk taking behavior can lead to adverse consequences in the long term. However, it is currently not well understood what processes lead to an increase in risky decision making in adolescence.

This project focuses on how decision making in adolescence differs from decision making in childhood and adulthood and how these differences in decision making strategies give rise to increases in risky decision making.

The project is supervised by Dr. Barbara Braams, www.barbarabraams.nl Email b.r.braams@vu.nl if you are interested and want to meet to get more information about the project. Start date and length of the internship can be discussed.