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A Meta-Analysis on Age Differences in Risky Decision Making: Adolescents Versus Children and Adults.
- Source :
-
Psychological Bulletin . Jan2015, Vol. 141 Issue 1, p48-84. 37p. - Publication Year :
- 2015
-
Abstract
- Despite evident heightened adolescent risk-taking in real-life situations, not all experimental studies demonstrate that adolescents take more risks than children and adults on risky decision-making tasks. In the current 4 independent meta-analyses, neurodevelopmental imbalance models and fuzzy trace theory were used as conceptual frameworks to examine whether adolescents engage in more risk-taking than children and adults and whether early adolescents take more risks than children and mid-late adolescents on behavioral risk-taking tasks. Studies with at least 1 of the aforementioned age comparisons met the inclusion criteria. Consistent with imbalance models and fuzzy trace theory, results from a random effects model showed that adolescents take more risks (g = .37) than adults, and early adolescents take more risks (g = .15) than mid-late adolescents. However, inconsistent with both perspectives, adolescents and children take equal levels of risk (g = -.00), and early adolescents and children also take equal levels of risk (g = .04). Meta-regression analyses revealed that, consistent with imbalance models, (a) adolescents take more risks than adults on hot tasks with immediate outcome feedback on rewards and losses; however, contrary to imbalance models but consistent with fuzzy trace theory, (b) adolescents take fewer risks than children on tasks with a sure/safe option. Shortcomings related to studies using behavioral risk-taking tasks are discussed. We suggest a hybrid developmental neuroecological model of risk-taking that includes a risk opportunity component to explain why adolescents take more risks than children in the real world but equal levels of risks as children in the laboratory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00332909
- Volume :
- 141
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Psychological Bulletin
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 100306039
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038088