title: Not all risks are equal: the risk taking inventory for high-risk sports.
abstract: Although high-risk sport participants are typically considered a homogenous risk-taking population, attitudes to risk within the high-risk domain can vary considerably. As no validated measure allows researchers to assess risk taking within this domain, we validated the Risk Taking Inventory (RTI) for high-risk sport across four studies. The RTI comprises seven items across two factors: deliberate risk taking and precautionary behaviors. In Study 1 (n = 341), the inventory was refined and tested via a confirmatory factor analysis used in an exploratory fashion. The subsequent three studies confirmed the RTI's good model-data fit via three further separate confirmatory factor analyses. In Study 2 (n = 518) and in Study 3 (n = 290), concurrent validity was also confirmed via associations with other related traits (sensation seeking, behavioral activation, behavioral inhibition, impulsivity, self-esteem, extraversion, and conscientiousness). In Study 4 (n = 365), predictive validity was confirmed via associations with mean accidents and mean close calls in the high-risk domain. Finally, in Study 4, the self-report version of the inventory was significantly associated with an informant version of the inventory. The measure will allow researchers and practitioners to investigate risk taking as a variable that is conceptually distinct from participation in a high-risk sport.
authors.affiliation: Institute for the Psychology of Elite Performance, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, UK.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Woodman
authors.forename: Matt
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barlow
authors.forename: Comille
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bandura
authors.forename: Miles
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Dominika
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kupciw
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Macgregor
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003242:Conscience; D005120:Extraversion, Psychological; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012649:Self Concept; D013177:Sports / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data