Temple University professor Laurence Steinberg won a $1 million international award for his research on developmental adolescent psychology - which also has made him a leading scholar on national juvenile justice issues, a Zurich-based foundation announced this morning.

The award comes from the Jacobs Foundation, one of Europe's largest philanthropic organizations in the area of youth development, founded in 1988 by the late Klaus J. Jacobs, who made his fortune in the cocoa and coffee business. The foundation funds academic research and pilot programming around the world in youth development.

It is believed to be one of the largest awards of its kind given in a social science field. The Nobel Prize carries $1.4 million, while the prestigious MacArthur Foundation fellowships pay $500,000.

Given for the first time this year, the "Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize" was established in the name of Jacobs after his death in 2008.

The award, which will be presented at a ceremony in Zurich on Dec. 3, must be used for research.

Steinberg was selected by an international, cross-disciplinary jury of seven scientists from major research institutions around the world. The award, according to a foundation press release, recognizes "outstanding scientific accomplishments" in "contributions to the improvement of the living conditions of young people."

"I was speechless," said Steinberg, 57, who was informed of the honor in a phone call from the Zurich foundation.

"I'm honored, of course, by the recognition given to the research my colleagues and I have been doing. But I'm also excited by the statement this makes about our field. It's an extremely generous prize. As far as I know, the scientific study of adolescent development has never been given this sort of attention."

Psychology and juvenile justice

Steinberg is a national figure on the juvenile justice scene, most recently serving as a consultant to the American Psychological Association in preparation of a court brief for the U.S. Supreme Court case on whether it is constitutional to sentence juveniles to life in prison without possibility of parole for a non-homicide offense. The court heard arguments in the case this week.

Steinberg argues that it is unconstitutional because teens' brains aren't as developed as adults.

"It may make them less mature than adults, in a way that makes them less responsible for their behavior," he said. "It doesn't make them not guilty, but it makes them less guilty."

At puberty, teens' brains become much more susceptible to rewards-driven behavior because of a surge in dopamine activity, and at the same time, the system that governs impulse control isn't fully developed, he explained.

"So you've got this period of vulnerability during middle adolescence," he said, citing ages 14 to 17 in particular.

Teens are more prone to reckless driving, criminal activity, unprotected sex and other risky behaviors as a result, he said.

Steinberg also was a consultant for the psychological association in the 2005 case Roper v. Simmons that led to the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling, abolishing the juvenile death penalty.

Parenting and other exposures also play an important role in teen development, Steinberg has found.

Among the 11 books he has authored is The 10 Basic Principles of Good Parenting in which he says a combination of "warmth and firmness" best raises children.

Taking it global

Steinberg has studied U.S. youth extensively and will use the award money to take his research international in collaboration with other researchers.

He declined to say which countries he targeting but said places in every continent are under consideration.

"One of the really important questions that I hope to be able to address is whether the patterns that we're seeing in our American samples are driven by the biology of adolescents or whether what we're finding here is idiosyncratic to us and the ways we treat adolescents in our culture," he said. "We'll be able to see how universal the patterns are."

Steinberg, who was nominated for the award by Temple's psychology department, hopes to start the research as soon as the spring.

Foundation officials said he best demonstrated what they had in mind when creating the award.

"A trailblazer in the field of developmental psychology, Professor Steinberg exemplifies the foundation's commitment to combining research, application, and active communication to improve the lives of young people," said Bernd Ebersold, CEO of the Jacobs Foundation, in a prepared statement.

The foundation operates on an annual budget of about 38 million Swiss francs - nearly $38 million at current exchange rates. It had holdings of $3.38 billion Swiss francs as of Dec. 31, 2007. Jacobs is best known as the founder of Barry Callebaut AG, a leading producer of cocoa, chocolate and confectionary products.

A distinguished professor

A 21-year Temple veteran, Steinberg was bestowed the title of "distinguished professor" - the highest designation a faculty member can receive - by former Temple President Peter Liacouras in 1999.

He's also done research in many other areas, including adolescent drug use and criminal behavior and the effect of after-school jobs on teens.

He co-authored the book "Crossing Paths" about the intersection of adolescence with mid-life years - a point that parents and their children face - with his wife, Wendy, who recently finished her first novel.

Steinberg grew up in the New York suburbs and set out to be a writer until he fell in love with psychology during a course his freshman year.

He got his bachelor's degree in psychology from Vassar and later his doctorate in developmental psychology at Cornell University. He previously worked at the University of California at Irvine and the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Steinberg lives in Center City. He and his wife have one son, Benjamin, 25, an assistant editor at Random House in New York City.

He said he's grateful to Temple for giving him the opportunity to do his research.

"A lot of what I've been able to do as a researcher is directly attributable to the support I've gotten from Temple," he said. "I'm in one of the best psychology departments in the world."

Contact staff writer Susan Snyder at 215-854-4693 or ssnyder@phillynews.com