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Journal Article

Citation

Mills BA, Reyna VF, Estrada SM. Psychol. Sci. 2008; 19(5): 429-433.

Affiliation

Cornell University.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Association for Psychological Science, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02104.x

PMID

18466401

Abstract

Different studies have documented opposite relations between perceived risk and behavior. The present study tested a theoretical explanation that reconciles these conflicting results. Adolescents (N= 596) completed alternative measures of risk perception that differed in cue specificity and response format. As predicted by fuzzy-trace theory, measures that emphasized verbatim retrieval and quantitative processing produced positive correlations between perceived risk and risky behavior; risk perceptions reflected the extent to which adolescents engaged in risky behavior. In contrast, measures that assessed global, gist-based judgments of risk produced negative correlations; higher risk perceptions were associated with less risk taking, a protective rather than reflective relation. Endorsement of simple values and principles provided the greatest protection against risk taking. Results support a dual-processes interpretation of the relation between risk perception and risk taking according to which observed relations depend on whether the cues in questions trigger verbatim or gist processing.


Language: en

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