Browsing by Subject "Risk-taking"
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Item Alcohol responses, cognitive impairment, and alcohol-related negative consequences(2014-08) Quinn, Patrick Donovan; Fromme, KimUnder frameworks such as Alcohol Myopia Theory, a body of literature has developed demonstrating how alcohol intoxication can increase behavioral risk-taking, potentially via impaired inhibition of prepotent behavioral responses. A separate area of research has shown that responses to alcohol intoxication are not homogenous across the population. Whereas most previous research has considered alcohol responses in relation to risk for alcohol use disorders, the present investigation tested whether they may additionally contribute to the acute effects of alcohol on drinking-episode-specific cognitive and behavioral consequences. We recruited 82 moderate-to-heavy drinking emerging adults to each complete 2 research protocols: a placebo-controlled, within-subject, counterbalanced alcohol challenge in a simulated bar laboratory and a 21-day, event-level self-monitoring follow-up. Replicating previous research, the alcohol challenge increased heart rate and subjective stimulant-like and sedative-like responses and impaired psychomotor performance and response inhibition. Individual differences in subjective stimulation but not sedation were significantly associated with inhibitory impairment. In the event-level follow-up, we found little evidence that alcohol responses elevated risk for adverse behavioral outcomes, although evidence was stronger that alcohol responses were associated with alcohol-induced memory blackout. Whether and how alcohol responses relate to the physiological, cognitive, and behavioral consequences of alcohol intoxication may depend on a) the quality of the response (e.g., stimulation vs. sedation), b) the type of outcome (e.g., response inhibition vs. blackout vs. behavioral risk-taking), and c) whether perceptions of alcohol-induced effects may contribute to emerging adults' evaluations of risk (e.g., driving after drinking and riding with a drinking driver).Item Emotion regulation, risk-taking, and experiential learning : a methodological exploration(2010-05) Welsh, Kelly Ann 1973-; Loukas, Alexandra; Peterson, Fred L.Despite adolescence and emerging adulthood being a time of peak physical ability, it is marked by a dramatic increase in morbidity and mortality, primarily driven by poor behavioral and emotional control (Dahl, 2004). Multiple lines of recent research are now focusing on how maturation of decision-making impacts risk-taking, and more specifically, what role emotion regulation plays (Weinberger et al., 2005; Steinberg, 2007). Rather than avoiding risk factors, a call is made for strength and skills-based approaches to risk-taking interventions. The purpose of the current exploratory study was to assess the efficacy of an experiential learning (EL) intervention designed to increase participants’ emotion regulation skills and decrease risk-taking. Twenty-eight emerging adults participated; 15 were assigned to the experimental group and presented with two separate sessions on emotional regulation and risk-taking using EL methodology (low and high element activities). The control group’s 13 participants were presented with two separate powerpoint lectures on emotion regulation and risk-taking. Participants’ difficulty with emotion regulation and risk-taking were assessed prior to the first session, between sessions, and one week following the second session. Qualitative interviews assessed participants’ understanding of how emotions and risk-taking are connected and process measures assessed the emotional impact of the intervention activities. While hypotheses were not confirmed, results revealed a significant decline in difficulty with emotion regulation across time for all participants. Unexpectedly, however, there were no significant differences between the groups on emotional regulation and the group x time interaction was also not significant. Additionally, risk-taking significantly increased across time. The control group reported more risk-taking across the three time periods than the experimental group. The time x group interaction approached significance [F(2,56) =2.68, p =.07], showing consistent increases for the control group but relatively low levels for the experimental group. Qualitative data revealed that participants had clear notions of how emotions drive risk-taking, how the thrill of risk- taking can be used to displace negative feelings, and how one’s need to connect to others can lead to risk-taking. Experimental group participants demonstrated a shift from global thinking about emotions and risk-taking to more specific thoughts about emotional awareness as a key skill.Item A look at health risk-taking behaviors and sensation seeking in NAIA college athletes(2010-08) Downey, Darcy Loy; Peterson, Fred L.; Bartholomew, John; Holahan, Carole; Ryan, Randa; Siler, WilliamStudies indicate a high level of risk taking behavior among student-athletes in the college setting. There are questions as to whether risk-taking behaviors stem from the unique social and academic environment experienced by intercollegiate athletes, or due to other factors such as sensation seeking or other personality traits, perceived norms, peer influence or an amplification of the common college experience of experimentation. However, most research has focused on student-athletes from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). This study examined (1) health risk taking behaviors, (2) sensation seeking and (3) perceived norms among gender and sport-type (contact or non-contact) in a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) population. Participants (N=63) completed a 78-item questionnaire and reported on risk-taking behaviors (alcohol, marijuana, gambling and sexual risks, for a 12 month period), sensation seeking and perceived norms. Findings from this research indicate that non-contact athletes are more likely than contact athletes to use alcohol during the season of competition. Male and female athletes showed not significant differences in alcohol use, marijuana use and sexual risk behaviors, they did however, have significant differences in gambling behavior. High sensation seekers show strong, positive correlations with alcohol frequency and quantity during the off-season. Perceptions of others (athletes/teammates and general college population) health risk-taking behaviors are higher than their own behaviors. Additional research is needed in many of these domains to further elucidate the relationships and significance of these findings.Item Pubertal development and adolescent risk-taking : understanding individual differences(2016-08) Kretsch, Natalie Sara; Harden, Kathryn Paige; Cavanagh, Shannon E; Fromme, Kim; Josephs, Robert A; Yeager, David SThis set of projects focused on individual differences—specifically, how variation in the timing, context, and perception of this universal milestone might contribute to individual differences in risky behavior. Study 1 looked at testosterone as a potential endophenotype for substance use in adolescence. Combining self-report, hormonal, and behavioral measures, this study used a twin design to test the hypothesis that testosterone mediated genetic risk for substance use via its effect on reward seeking. The primary hypothesis was not supported, as there were no phenotypic associations between testosterone, reward seeking, and initiation of substance use. Study 2 focused on girls’ perceived pubertal timing in the context of their peer group, testing whether peer delinquency moderated the association between pubertal timing and delinquency. A twin comparison design was used to control for unmeasured between-family differences (family-level genetic and environmental selection effects) that would affect both peer and individual delinquency. Pubertal timing moderated the quasi-causal association between peer and individual delinquency: girls with earlier perceived pubertal timing were more similar to their nominated friends in delinquency. This interaction was only found for relative pubertal timing (asking girls to compare their development to their peers) and not for age-standardized ratings of body changes or for age at menarche. Study 3 examined whether pubertal timing reported by one’s friends and schoolmates related to perceived pubertal timing. Results showed gender differences: boys appeared similar to their peers in perceived body changes and girls appeared similar to peers in perceived relative pubertal timing. Collectively, these 3 studies highlight complexity inherent in studying sources of individual differences at a stage when numerous changes—biological, psychological, social—are underway. Understanding the extent to which these concurrent changes may or may not interact is an important step toward identifying factors that make some children prone to risk behavior.Item Pubertal timing and peer influence on risky decision-making(2012-12) Kretsch, Natalie Sara; Harden, Kathryn Paige; Fromme, KimAdolescents engage in more risky behavior when they are with peers and show heightened susceptibility to peer influence relative to children and adults. Recent experimental studies suggest that peer influence on adolescent risk-taking may be mediated by activity in reward-related regions of the brain (Gardner & Steinberg, 2005; Chein et al., 2011). Because reward-related regions are modified by the hormonal changes of puberty, it is possible that the heightened influence of peers on adolescent risk-taking is more closely linked to pubertal development than chronological age. The current study examined whether the effect of peers on risk-taking was moderated by pubertal status. Participants (62 youth, ages 11-16) completed a performance-based measure of risky decision-making, once alone and once in the presence of two peers. Pubertal timing was assessed using self-report. Adolescents made riskier decisions in the presence of peers, and more advanced pubertal development predicted greater risky decision-making, controlling for chronological age. However, the relationship between pubertal timing and risk-taking was only apparent when adolescents completed the task alone. The effect of peer presence on risky decision-making was attenuated for adolescents with more advanced pubertal development. These findings suggest that the presence of peers may override biologically-based individual differences in propensity for risk-taking.