Longitudinal link between trait motivation and risk-taking behaviors via neural risk processing

Neural cognitive control moderates the association between insular risk processing and risk-taking behaviors via perceived stress in adolescents

Adolescence is a critical period for the initiation of risk-taking behaviors. We examined the longitudinal interplay between neural correlates of risk processing and cognitive control in predicting risk-taking behaviors via stress. The sample consisted of 167 adolescents (53% males) who were assessed twice (MAgeTime1 = 14.13, MAgeTime2 = 15.05). Neural risk processing was operationalized as blo...

Running head: ANXIETY SENSITIVTY AND RISK-TAKING BEHAVIORS Dowd 1 Anxiety Sensitivity and Risk-Taking Behaviors

A Link Between Thought Speed and Risk Taking

In two experiments, we tested for a causal link between thought speed and risk taking. In Experiment 1, we manipulated thought speed by presenting neutral-content text at either a fast or a slow pace and having participants read the text aloud. In Experiment 2, we manipulated thought speed by presenting fast-, medium-, or slow-paced movie clips that contained similar content. Participants who w...

Longitudinal changes in adolescent risk-taking: a comprehensive study of neural responses to rewards, pubertal development, and risk-taking behavior.

Prior studies have highlighted adolescence as a period of increased risk-taking, which is postulated to result from an overactive reward system in the brain. Longitudinal studies are pivotal for testing these brain-behavior relations because individual slopes are more sensitive for detecting change. The aim of the current study was twofold: (1) to test patterns of age-related change (i.e., line...

Protection motivation theory and adolescent drug trafficking: relationship between health motivation and longitudinal risk involvement.

OBJECTIVE To assess health protection motivation as explained by the constructs of protection motivation theory (PMT) and its association with drug trafficking over 2 years. METHODS The sample included 817 African American youth (13-16 years old) participating in an adolescent risk-reduction program. We developed an instrument measuring the level of health protection motivation (LHPM) using f...