ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the compared Executive function (EF) and reward-processing biases in male adolescent offenders and matched non-offending adolescents using both a global EF measure and two measures sensitive to reward and punishment processing. Antisocial individuals often present with risky and disinhibited behavior; a pattern that is similar to the behavior of individuals presenting with damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex/orbitofrontal cortex. The chapter examines EF including reward sensitivity in young offenders (YOs). YO performance was compared with an age, sex, socioeconomic status, and intelligence quotient matched non-offending group. The results on the Card Playing Task support previous research in other antisocial samples showing that antisocial youths perseverate in the face of decreasing reward and increasing punishment. The Win–Lose test failed to show any differences between our groups of adolescent males, but interestingly, when both groups were compared with undergraduate male students, some significant findings emerged.
