Peer Influence on Risk Taking, Risk Preference, and Risky Decision Making in Adolescence and
Introduction
Results
Adulthood: An Experimental Study
Anecdotal evidence has suggested
•
Linear
mixed
model
procedure revealed age
Gardner, M., & Steinberg, L. (2005). Peer Influence on Risk Taking, Risk Preference, and Risky Decision Making in Adolescence and Adulthood:
adolescents as more risk-taking than
had a significant affect on risk taking F(1, 284)
An Experimental Study. Developmental Psychology, 41(4), 625–635.
adults¹ But this claim is inconsistent in
= 18.79, p<0001, During task younger
Method
lab conditions. Which could be due to
individuals covered more distance after the
Participants:
ignoring the effect of social context,
yellow light was presented and were more
206 participants, adolescence groups: 13-16 (106), 18-22 (105). Adult group:
adolescents risk taking may be impacted
likely to restart car after yellow light.(Figure 1)
25+
(95).
by peer influence². Adolescents risk
• Peer presence had a significant affect on risky
Materials
taking often happens in groups⁵, is this
taking F(1, 284)= 15.05, p.0001,
“Chicken”⁴
Car
driving
game
the
further
you
drive
in
fixed
amount
of
time
the
due to them spending more time in group
• The effects of peer presence varied as a
more
points
you
achieve,
stopping
loses
points.
There’s
traffic
lights
at
junctions
or from higher vulnerability to peer
function of age on the risk-taking measure,
if amber you need to decide whether to stop or continue. If you do not decide
influence⁶⁷. Research indicates they are
F(1, 284) = 4.801, p=.05, (See figure 2)
before
the
lights
turn
red
you
crash
losing
all
points.
After
stopping
at
light
you
more easily swayed to risky behaviour
can choose to restart car and continue or stop keeping all your points.
compared to adults³, however the
Procedure:
measure of risk used (low emotion,
Participants in age range randomly allocated to alone condition or group
hypothetical scenarios) is not how risk
condition. Participants in the alone group were asked to complete 15 trials of the
taking happens naturally. There is little
above task, In the group condition each person would have a turn completing the
research examining the effect of peers on
task, but would still do 15 trials as a group, the other 2 group members would
risk taking in adolescents, which is
give advice. A composite indicator of risk taking measure (amount of time car
representative of real world risk taking.
was moving when yellow light presented and number of car restarts after stop)
• Aims: determine if adolescents are
was used to calculate risk, the higher the score the more risky the behaviour.
more prone to risk taking compared to
adults, and if presence of peers has an
Adults
Figure 1
effect.
• Hypothesis:
1) Risk taking will decrease with age.
2) Individuals will demonstrate more risk
Discussion
taking, when peers are present
Adolescents
• There is a significant decline in risk taking from adolescence to
compared to when alone.
adulthood
3) The affect of peers will be greatest in
•
More risks were taken when peers present, but this affect was most
adolescence groups compared to the
prominent in adolescents. Supporting all hypothesis.
adult group.
Time
• Research had external validity, by incorporating peer influence and using
a task experienced in everyday life.
• However experience may confound performance in task (figure 2).
1 - Arnett, 1992, 2 - Cauffman & Steinberg, 2000, 3 - Hensley
• Despite this the results indicate peer influence may be the cause of higher
(1977), 4 - Sheldrick, 2004, 5-Erickson & Jensen, 1977, 6- Brown,
2004, 7- Steinberg & Silverberg, 1986
group risk taking seen in adolescents compared to adults.
References
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