Abstract
This study investigated the hypothesis that adults are faster than adolescents in responding to risks. Twenty-six adolescents (M-age = 15 years) and 26 adults (Mage = 47 years) responded to risky situations (e.g. 'Is it a good idea to drive a car while having drunk alcohol?') and non-risky situations (e.g. '... wear a helmet while riding a moped?') in a choice reaction time task. Adults responded 110ms faster to both risky and non-risky questions than adolescents. Both adolescents and adults responded on average 100ms faster to risky questions than to non-risky questions. The results of this study suggest a possible explanation for the increased accident involvement of adolescents in traffic.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 343-349 |
Journal | Journal of Health Psychology |
Volume | 17 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2012 |