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Adolescents' cognitive capacity reaches adult levels prior to their psychosocial maturity: Evidence for a "maturity gap" in a multinational, cross-sectional sample
Icenogle,Grace1; Steinberg,Laurence1; Duell,Natasha1; Chein,Jason1; Chang,Lei2; Chaudhary,Nandita3; Di Giunta,Laura4; Dodge,Kenneth A.5; Fanti,Kostas A.6; Lansford,Jennifer E.5; Oburu,Paul7; Pastorelli,Concetta4; Skinner,Ann T.5; Sorbring,Emma8; Tapanya,Sombat9; Tirado,Liliana M.Uribe10; Alampay,Liane P.11; Al-Hassan,Suha M.12,13; Takash,Hanan M.S.12; Bacchini,Dario14
2019-02-20
Source PublicationLaw and Human Behavior
ISSN01477307
Volume43Issue:1Pages:69-85
Abstract

All countries distinguish between minors and adults for various legal purposes. Recent U.S. Supreme Court cases concerning the legal status of juveniles have consulted psychological science to decide where to draw these boundaries. However, little is known about the robustness of the relevant research, because it has been conducted largely in the U.S. and other Western countries. To the extent that lawmakers look to research to guide their decisions, it is important to know how generalizable the scientific conclusions are. The present study examines 2 psychological phenomena relevant to legal questions about adolescent maturity: cognitive capacity, which undergirds logical thinking, and psychosocial maturity, which comprises individuals' ability to restrain themselves in the face of emotional, exciting, or risky stimuli. Age patterns of these constructs were assessed in 5,227 individuals (50.7% female), ages 10-30 (M = 17.05, SD = 5.91) from 11 countries. Importantly, whereas cognitive capacity reached adult levels around age 16, psychosocial maturity reached adult levels beyond age 18, creating a "maturity gap" between cognitive and psychosocial development. Juveniles may be capable of deliberative decision making by age 16, but even young adults may demonstrate "immature" decision making in arousing situations. We argue it is therefore reasonable to have different age boundaries for different legal purposes: 1 for matters in which cognitive capacity predominates, and a later 1 for matters in which psychosocial maturity plays a substantial role.

KeywordAdolescence Age Of Majority Cross-national Law Maturity
DOI10.1037/lhb0000315
URLView the original
Language英語English
WOS IDWOS:000458608800006
Scopus ID2-s2.0-85061617264
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Document TypeJournal article
CollectionDEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
Corresponding AuthorIcenogle,Grace
Affiliation1.Department of PsychologyTemple University,United States
2.Department of PsychologyUniversity of Macau,Macao
3.Department of Human Development and Childhood StudiesLady Irwin CollegeUniversity of Delhi,India
4.Department of PsychologyUniversità di Roma 'La Sapienza',Italy
5.Center for Child and Family PolicyDuke University,United States
6.Department of PsychologyUniversity of Cyprus,Cyprus
7.Department of Educational PsychologyMaseno University,Kenya
8.Centre for Child and Youth StudiesUniversity West,Sweden
9.Department of PsychiatryChiang Mai University,Thailand
10.Consultorio Psicologico PopularUniversidad San Buenaventura,Colombia
11.Department of PsychologyAteneo de Manila University,Philippines
12.Queen Rania Faculty for ChildhoodHashemite University,Jordan
13.Emirates College for Advanced Education,United Arab Emirates
14.Department of Humanistic StudiesUniversity of Naples 'Federico II',Italy
Recommended Citation
GB/T 7714
Icenogle,Grace,Steinberg,Laurence,Duell,Natasha,et al. Adolescents' cognitive capacity reaches adult levels prior to their psychosocial maturity: Evidence for a "maturity gap" in a multinational, cross-sectional sample[J]. Law and Human Behavior, 2019, 43(1), 69-85.
APA Icenogle,Grace., Steinberg,Laurence., Duell,Natasha., Chein,Jason., Chang,Lei., Chaudhary,Nandita., Di Giunta,Laura., Dodge,Kenneth A.., Fanti,Kostas A.., Lansford,Jennifer E.., Oburu,Paul., Pastorelli,Concetta., Skinner,Ann T.., Sorbring,Emma., Tapanya,Sombat., Tirado,Liliana M.Uribe., Alampay,Liane P.., Al-Hassan,Suha M.., Takash,Hanan M.S.., & Bacchini,Dario (2019). Adolescents' cognitive capacity reaches adult levels prior to their psychosocial maturity: Evidence for a "maturity gap" in a multinational, cross-sectional sample. Law and Human Behavior, 43(1), 69-85.
MLA Icenogle,Grace,et al."Adolescents' cognitive capacity reaches adult levels prior to their psychosocial maturity: Evidence for a "maturity gap" in a multinational, cross-sectional sample".Law and Human Behavior 43.1(2019):69-85.
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