Reward and executive control imbalances in adolescence: measurement and implications for our understanding of alcohol use

Heuristic models of adolescent development posit that differences in the maturational trajectories of reward vs. executive control systems influence propensities toward adolescent risk-taking, including alcohol use engagement. However, most studies measure reward and control processes in isolation and do not consider their joint influences on outcomes of interest through the course of adolescent development. This theoretical review summarizes recent additive, interaction-based, and within-person models that have investigated the joint contributions of reward and executive control systems to adolescent alcohol use patterns. Importantly, based on theoretical and methodological grounds, longitudinal within-person assessments appear to provide the most valid assessment of the developmental imbalance between reward and executive control systems and its impacts on risk-taking behaviors. Findings indicate that developmental trajectories, in conjunction with individual variations in the extent and developmental change of imbalances, are associated with adolescent alcohol involvement. The literature is characterized by various limitations, including heterogeneity in construct conceptualization, measurement of predictors and outcomes, and age range of participants, which complicates interpretation. Moreover, there are numerous methodological constraints of additive and interaction models in the measurement of reward-control differences. Future research that carefully considers study design, construct measurement, and modeling approaches is needed. It is recommended that these studies use within-person designs to quantify developmental imbalances and their associations with concurrent and prospective alcohol use patterns and that special effort be given to teasing apart the influences of developmental vs. individual difference factors.