Title |
Adolescent and adult risk-taking in virtual social contexts
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Published in |
Frontiers in Psychology, December 2014
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DOI | 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01476 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Anneke D. M. Haddad, Freya Harrison, Thomas Norman, Jennifer Y.F. Lau |
Abstract |
There is a paucity of experimental data addressing how peers influence adolescent risk-taking. Here, we examined peer effects on risky decision-making in adults and adolescents using a virtual social context that enabled experimental control over the peer "interactions." 40 adolescents (age 11-18) and 28 adults (age 20-38) completed a risk-taking (Wheel of Fortune) task under four conditions: in private; while being observed by (fictitious) peers; and after receiving 'risky' or 'safe' advice from the peers. For high-risk gambles (but not medium-risk or even gambles), adolescents made more risky decisions under peer observation than adults. Adolescents, but not adults, tended to resist 'safe' advice for high-risk gambles. Although both groups tended to follow 'risky' advice for high-risk gambles, adults did so more than adolescents. These findings highlight the importance of distinguishing between the effects of peer observation and peer advice on risky decision-making. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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United Kingdom | 1 | 33% |
Australia | 1 | 33% |
Unknown | 1 | 33% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
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Members of the public | 3 | 100% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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United Kingdom | 1 | 2% |
United States | 1 | 2% |
Unknown | 64 | 97% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
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Student > Ph. D. Student | 15 | 23% |
Student > Master | 12 | 18% |
Student > Postgraduate | 6 | 9% |
Researcher | 6 | 9% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 5 | 8% |
Other | 13 | 20% |
Unknown | 9 | 14% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Psychology | 38 | 58% |
Neuroscience | 5 | 8% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 3 | 5% |
Environmental Science | 2 | 3% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 1 | 2% |
Other | 7 | 11% |
Unknown | 10 | 15% |