Knowing Where to Draw the Line: Perceptual Differences between Risk-takers and Non-Risk-Takers

Adam T Biggs, Paul C Stey, Christopher C Davoli, Daniel Lapsley and James R Brockmole

PLOS ONE, 2014, vol. 9, issue 3, 1-7

Abstract: There are a variety of reasons someone might engage in risky behaviors, such as perceived invulnerability to harm or a belief that negative outcomes are more likely for others than for oneself. However, these risk-taking biases are often measured at a decision-making level or from the developmental perspective. Here we assessed whether or not risk-taking influenced perceptual judgments associated with risk. Participants were provided an objective task to measure individual differences in the perception of physical dimensions (i.e., actual size of a balloon) versus the perception of risk (i.e., size at which the balloon would explode). Our results show that specific differences in risk-taking personalities produce specific differences in perceptual judgments about risk, but do not affect perception of the actual dimensions. Thus, risk-takers differ from non-risk-takers in the perceptual estimations they make about risks, and therefore may be more likely to engage in dangerous or uncertain behaviors because they perceive risks differently.

Date: 2014
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0091880

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0091880

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