Decision-making in young adolescents and adults.
In two experiments, 13-year-olds and college students were asked to make "risky" decisions in a game format. Analyses focused on whether adolescents and adults (a) used similar strategies for evaluating their options, (b) were equally optimistic, (c) held similar beliefs about their ability to produce outcomes, (d) were equally likely to choose the best options, and (e) had equally accurate memories of their performance. Results showed that age differences emerged along each of these dimensions, especially when the game was made more complex.
Dept. of Human Development, College of Education, University of Maryland, College Park 20742.
J P
JP
Byrnes
B
B
McClenny
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008128:Logic; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012649:Self Concept