The impact of accumulated experience on children's appraisals of risk and risk-taking decisions: implications for youth injury prevention.

OBJECTIVES This study assessed whether repeated experience with a physical activity leads to increased risk taking and compared what factors (risk appraisals, emotion ratings, child attributes) predict risk taking before and after practice doing the activity. METHOD Children 7 to 12 years of age participated in an ecologically valid risk-taking task in which they chose the highest height at which to set a balance beam before and after they practiced walking across it. RESULTS Prior to accumulating experience, predictors of risk taking included appraisals of risk, child attributes, and extent of past experience with the activity. After accumulating experience, risk taking increased and was predicted by behavioral attributes (low inhibitory control, high sensation seeking) and appraisal of perceived vulnerability. CONCLUSION When aiming to reduce risk taking, the best approach will be one that targets different determinants depending on children's extent of experience with the recreational activity.