Laurence Steinberg on the Legal and Policy Implications of Teen Brain Development

Adolescence is the most dangerous period of human development, marked by high rates of car crashes, suicide attempts, binge drinking and more. One explanation lies in the imbalance between how different regions of the brain mature, renowned psychologist Laurence Steinberg said Wednesday in a talk sponsored by the Duke Center for Child and Family Policy. The brain's sensitivity to rewards peaks in the teen years, Steinberg said. Meanwhile the prefrontal cortex, "the CEO of the brain" that regulates self-control, is still maturing.

 "It's like starting the engine before a good braking system is in place," Steinberg said.

The emerging brain science has policy implications, said Steinberg, the Distinguished University Professor and Laura H. Carnell Professor of Psychology at Temple University. Teenage brains differ from adult brains, and that difference should be acknowledged in court, he said. Steinberg made a similar argument in a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in the Roper v. Simmons case, which abolished the juvenile death penalty.

Steinberg's talk, part of the Sulzberger Distinguished Lecture series, took place in the Sanford School of Public Policy's Rhodes Auditorium. 

Photo by Kara Bonneau