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Goal‐Directed Correlates and Neurobiological Underpinnings of Adolescent Identity: A Multimethod Multisample Longitudinal Approach
Author(s) -
Becht Andrik I.,
Bos Marieke G.N.,
Nelemans Stefanie A.,
Peters Sabine,
Vollebergh Wilma A.M.,
Branje Susan J.T.,
Meeus Wim H.J.,
Crone Eveline A.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/cdev.13048
Subject(s) - psychology , prefrontal cortex , longitudinal study , developmental psychology , identity (music) , latent growth modeling , nucleus accumbens , adolescent development , neuroscience , cognition , central nervous system , medicine , physics , pathology , acoustics
This multimethod multisample longitudinal study examined how neurological substrates associated with goal directedness and information seeking are related to adolescents’ identity. Self‐reported data on goal‐directedness were collected across three biannual waves in Study 1. Identity was measured one wave later. Study 1 design and measurements were repeated in Study 2 and extended with structural brain data (nucleus accumbens [NAcc] and prefrontal cortex gray matter volume [PFC]), collected across three biannual waves. Study 1 included 497 adolescents ( M age T1 = 13.03 years) and Study 2 included 131 adolescents ( M age T1 = 14.69 years). Using latent growth curve models, goal directedness, NAcc, and PFC volume predicted a stronger identity one wave later. These findings provide crucial new insights in the underlying neurobiological architecture of identity.