This presentation is part of: Oral Concurrent Session A - Judgment and Decision Making
THE GIST OF RISKS AND BENEFITS IN ADOLESCENT DECISION-MAKING: EFFECTS OF AGE, GENDER, ETHNICITY, AND EXPERIENCE
Valerie F. Reyna, PhD1, Kirsten Metz, BS2, Kristin Poirier, BA2, Jennifer Roberts, BS2, Mary Adam, MD2, and Craig Lecroy, PhD2. (1) University of Texas at Arlington, Psychology, Arlington, TX, (2) University of Arizona, Surgery, Tucson, AZ
Purpose: To investigate decision-making factors that reduce HIV transmission and premature pregnancy in adolescents, specifically, to investigate theoretical predictions about perceptions of the gist of risks and benefits, as well as effects of age, gender, ethnicity, and sexual history on such gist representations. Methods: 255 male and female adolescents (37% Anglo, 45% Hispanic, and 18% mixed/other) aged 14-19 years were each administered a control sexual decision-making scenario (male and female characters in the scenario had been abstinent) and two scenarios from the following factorial design: 2(male vs. female had been sexually active) X 2(protected vs. unprotected prior sex) X 2(one prior partner vs. many prior partners). A variety of responses were elicited, including ratings of risks and benefits as “none,” “low,” “medium,” or “high” and numerical scale values. Results: For identical scenarios, as predicted, the gist of perceived benefits differed by gender, ethnicity, and sexual history of subjects. Also as predicted, perceived risks differed by age and objective risk factors (such as protected/unprotected sex or number of partners). Male subjects perceived more benefits than female subjects and male characters were perceived to benefit more from sex, especially among Hispanics. Previously sexually active subjects perceived more benefits for characters in the scenarios, but similar risks, compared to abstinent subjects. Age differences in risk perception emerged first for small, categorical differences in risk, as predicted by fuzzy-trace theory. Conclusions: Theoretical predictions originally tested in abstract laboratory tasks were extended to adolescents’ risky sexual decisions. Data confirmed predictions that gender, ethnicity, and experience shape the perception of identical decision options and that increases in risk perception with age were associated with developmental shifts in reliance on gist–based (categorical) decision processes, in accordance with fuzzy-trace theory.
