Poster #230 - The Social Consequences of Risk Avoidance in Late Adolescence

• In Event: 3-159 - Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: PS 12 Section - Social Relationships

Integrative Statement

Introduction

Developmental models suggest that brain maturation in adolescence promotes risky behavior in the presence of peers (Chein, Albert, O’Brien, Uckert, & Steinberg, 2011). Although a growing body of research has aimed to disentangle the nexus between peer contexts, brain development, and risk-taking, our understanding of adolescents’ decisions to take or avoid risks in peer contexts is still limited. Researchers have recognized the social benefits of risk taking, but the potential social costs of risk avoidance, such as social exclusion and victimization, are mostly unknown (see Blakemore, 2018). In this study, we present experimental data demonstrating the social and material costs of risk-avoidance for late adolescent males and females.

Method

Participants (208 first-year university students, M age = 18.79, 72 males) first observed a video of a fictitious peer ostensibly playing 10 rounds of a modified Columbia Card Task, a risk-taking game where players flip cards to earn raffle tickets for a prize. The peer selected cards from a deck of 20 (17 winner cards and 3 bomb cards), and the selected cards were flipped simultaneously once the player decided to stop. The peer earned a raffle ticket for each winner card they selected, but won nothing in the trial if a bomb card appeared. We manipulated the peer’s sex, level of risk-taking (high vs. low number of cards selected), and number of trials won (high vs. low success). After observing the game, participants rated how fun (Chronbach's Alpha = .86) and attractive (Chronbach's Alpha = .86) they expected the peer to be, and indicated their level of interest in a potential partnership (Chronbach's Alpha = .95) on a similar task. At the end, participants played the Ultimatum Game in which they split 10 additional raffle tickets between themselves and the peer they observed. We told participants that the peer could decline the proposed distribution, in which case neither the peer nor the participant would receive extra tickets.

Results

A 2 (Risk) x 2 (Success) MANOVA revealed that risk-avoidant peers were perceived as less fun and less attractive than risk-takers, Ʌ = 0.68, F(2, 203) = 47.32, p < .001; univariate Fs(1, 204) > 42.43, ps < .001. A 2 (Risk) x 2 (Success) ANOVA revealed that risk-avoidant peers were rated less favorably as prospective partners on risk-taking tasks, regardless of how successful they were F(1, 204) = 18.88, p < .01. A three-way interaction between risk, success, and peer gender for resource allocation decisions, indicated that participants gave more low offers to unsuccessful risk-avoidant males and successful risk-avoidant females, F(1, 200) = 4.35, p < .05 (see Figure 1).

Conclusions

Our findings show that risk-avoidance can be associated with negative social costs which are especially threatening in adolescence. Although some adolescents may enthusiastically engage in risky behavior to gain elite status and control resources, it is also possible that some adolescents may reluctantly engage in risky behavior to avoid negative social evaluations and exclusion. These findings add to our understanding of how adolescents make risky decisions in peer contexts.

Authors

• Michal Bak, Western University
  Presenting Author

• Lynne Zarbatany, University of Western Ontario
  Non-Presenting Author