Collaborative Research: Parental influence on risky behavior and decision-making in adolescent girls

青春期是许多人做出危险决定的时期，车祸、犯罪、酗酒和其他负面健康行为的发生率增加就是明证。因此，了解影响青少年这些危险行为的生活经历和途径是至关重要的。社会背景(如父母、同龄人)可能是理解青少年决策和冒险行为的关键组成部分。例如，之前的几项研究表明，父亲的缺席或脱离可能是女儿危险行为和决策的风险因素。尽管研究已经证实了这一现象，但这种关系的因果性质尚未确定。此外，目前还不清楚父亲的缺席或脱离会导致这些负面结果发生什么样的近端心理变化。布鲁斯·埃利斯博士(亚利桑那大学)、莎拉·希尔博士(德克萨斯基督教大学)和他们的同事将结合一个强大的自然实验和五个严格的实验室实验来检验父亲的参与在调节女儿的态度和决策中的作用。通过整合进化、发展和社会心理学的理论和方法，这项拟议的研究将测试因果关系和机制。这种知识具有潜在的变革性，因为它可以帮助该领域更全面地理解危险行为和决策发生的发展背景和干预机制。这种跨学科的方法将促进不同研究领域之间的协同、综合联系。此外，拟议的研究将涉及对本科生、研究生和博士后研究人员的培训。

Adolescence is a time in which many engage in risky decision-making, as evidenced by increased rates of car accidents, crime, binge drinking and other negative health behaviors. It is therefore critical to understand the life experiences and pathways that influence these risky behaviors in adolescents. The social context (e.g., parents, peers) may be a critical component for understanding adolescent decision-making and risk-taking behaviors. For example, several previous studies have shown that paternal absence or disengagement can be risk factors for risky behaviors and decision-making in daughters. Although research has established this phenomenon, the causal nature of this relationship has not been determined. Additionally, it is unclear what proximal psychological changes occur in response to paternal absence or disengagement that promote these negative outcomes. Dr. Bruce Ellis (University of Arizona), Dr. Sarah Hill (Texas Christian University), and their colleagues will combine a powerful natural experiment with five rigorous laboratory experiments to examine the role of paternal engagement in regulating daughters' attitudes and decision-making.Through integration of theory and methods from evolutionary, developmental, and social psychology, the proposed research will test for causation and mechanism. Such knowledge is potentially transformative because it could help move the field toward a more comprehensive understanding of the developmental contexts and intervening mechanisms through which risky behaviors and decision-making occur. This interdisciplinary approach will foster synergistic, integrative connections between different research domains. Additionally, the proposed research will involve training for undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral researchers.