Variability in response to peer pressure seen in degree of connections between brain regions

Degree of susceptibility to peer pressure was determined by questionnaire for these 10-year-olds. Then using functional imaging while flashing angry faces and hand movements:

They found that the brains of all children showed activity in regions important for planning and extracting information about social cues from movement, but the connectivity between these regions was stronger in children who were marked as less vulnerable to peer influence. These children were also found to have more activity in the prefrontal cortex, an area important for decision making and inhibition of socially inappropriate behavior.