Analogue study of peer influence on risk taking behavior in older adolescents

描述（由申请人提供）：青春期（18-20岁）是一个高风险行为的时期。特别是，这一时期的部分特征是倾向于从事危险行为（例如，药物使用和滥用、危险性行为、鲁莽驾驶），这些行为可能造成严重的身心后果。大量的研究表明，同伴在老年青少年的风险行为中起着重要的作用，风险行为往往发生在同伴的社会背景下。虽然现存的文献已经提供了深入了解的手段，同行可能会影响风险行为的参与，迄今为止的研究有一些局限性。因此，问题仍然是如何同伴的影响表现在风险行为参与的直接背景下，以及年龄较大的青少年最容易受到/抵抗同伴的影响。为了更好地理解同伴在风险行为参与过程中的影响，目前的研究旨在了解年龄较大的青少年是否在同伴在场的情况下以更危险的方式行事，以及同伴的存在是否单独影响风险行为，或者直接影响过程（例如，鼓励冒险行为）是必要的。此外，本研究的目的是探讨潜在的同侪影响的主持人。年龄较大的青少年在这方面的研究是特别重要的，因为他们代表了一个年龄，在此期间，风险行为是高峰，再加上最大程度的自主权，从父母。本实验采用行为冒险任务作为结果测量，试图在打破“同伴效应”的基础上迈出重要的一步。“年龄较大的青少年将单独来到实验室一次，然后被随机分配到三个条件之一（单独，同伴在场，同伴鼓励）。如果目标被随机分配到在场的同伴或鼓励的同伴中，目标将被要求带两个同性亲密朋友参加第二次会议。在单独的情况下，参与者将没有朋友返回。这种设计允许检查当同伴a）不存在; B）在同一房间中并且能够看到参与者在风险任务上的行为，但不能以任何方式提供任何形式的建议或鼓励;以及c）在同一房间中，能够看到参与者在风险任务上的行为，并且给出鼓励风险行为的指令时冒险行为的差异。通过这种方式，可以将同伴的存在和行为意识与风险鼓励的额外影响隔离开来。结果有重要的影响，因为它们提供了一个自然的延伸，以前的同行工作在一个受控的设置提供特定的知识的性质的同伴效应，从而有可能提高同伴的作用是概念化的预防和干预工作，针对大龄青少年冒险行为。 公共卫生相关性：老年青春期的部分特征是倾向于从事危险行为（例如，药物使用和滥用、危险性行为、鲁莽驾驶），这些行为可能造成严重的身心后果。本研究的目的是为了更好地了解同龄人对大龄青少年风险行为参与的影响。结果有重要的影响，因为它们提供了一个自然的延伸，以前的同行工作在一个受控的设置提供特定的知识的性质的同伴效应，从而有可能提高同伴的作用是概念化的预防和干预工作，针对大龄青少年冒险行为。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Older adolescence (ages 18-20) is a period of heightened risk taking behavior. In particular, this period has been characterized in part by the propensity towards engagement in risky behaviors (e.g., substance use and abuse, risky sexual behavior, reckless driving) that have the potential for serious physical and psychological consequences. An accumulation of research has demonstrated that peers play a considerable role in older adolescent risk behavior engagement with risk taking often occurring in the peer social context. Although the extant literature has provided insight into the means by which peers may influence risk behavior engagement, studies to date have had a number of limitations. As such, questions remain about how peer influence manifests in the immediate context of risk behavior engagement and which older adolescents are most susceptible/resistant to peer influence. To better understand the proposed influence of peers during risk behavior engagement, the current study aims to understand whether older adolescents act in a riskier manner in the presence of peers and whether peer presence alone influences risk behavior or whether a direct influence process (e.g., peer encouragement of risk behavior) is necessary. Further, the study aims to examine potential moderators of peer influence. Older adolescents are of particular importance in this line of research as they represent an age during which risk behavior is peaking and coupled with the greatest level of autonomy from parents. Using a behavioral risk taking task as the outcome measure, the current experimental study seeks to take an important step towards breaking down the proposed "peer effect." Older adolescents will come to the lab alone once and then be randomized to one of three conditions (alone, peers present, peers encouraging). If the target is randomized to peers present or peers encouraging, the target will be asked to bring in two, same-gender close friends for the second session. In the alone condition, the participant will return without friends. This design allows for the examination of differences in risk taking behavior when peers are a) not present; b) in the same room and able to see participant behavior on the risk task, but unable to provide any form of advice or encouragement in any way; and c) in the same room, able to see participant behavior on the risk task, and given the instruction to encourage risk behavior. In this way, it is possible to isolate peer presence and awareness of behavior from the additional influence of risk encouragement. Results have important implications as they provide a natural extension of previous peer work in a controlled setting providing particular knowledge about the nature of the peer effect, thereby having the potential for improving how the role of peers is conceptualized in prevention and intervention work targeting older adolescent risk taking behavior. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Older adolescence has been characterized in part by the propensity towards engagement in risky behaviors (e.g., substance use and abuse, risky sexual behavior, reckless driving) that have the potential for serious physical and psychological consequences. The goal of the proposed experimental study is to better understand the influence of peers during risk behavior engagement among older adolescents. Results have important implications as they provide a natural extension of previous peer work in a controlled setting providing particular knowledge about the nature of the peer effect, thereby having the potential for improving how the role of peers is conceptualized in prevention and intervention work targeting older adolescent risk taking behavior.