risk-taking
Definition
Risk-taking refers to behaviour involving decision-making under uncertainty, particularly the tendency to pursue rewards despite potential negative outcomes, and is recognised as increasing normatively from late childhood into middle adolescence before gradually declining as self-regulatory capacities mature. In adolescence this behaviour is associated with reduced inhibition and sensation-seeking, yet it also serves an adaptive function by promoting independence and personal growth. A meaningful distinction exists between overall impulsive risk-taking and risk adjustment, the latter capturing the ability to modify decisions in response to new information rather than reflecting affective-impulsive tendencies alone. In a longitudinal sample of 9,575 children from the UK Millennium Cohort Study, overall impulsive risk-taking at age 14, measured via the Cambridge Gambling Task, was not statistically significantly predicted by superior social cognition in childhood, whereas risk adjustment was, suggesting these two dimensions of decision-making under risk have partially distinct developmental antecedents.
Sources: Tsomokos & Flouri (2023)
Related Terms
- theory of mind (1 shared article)
- social cognition (1 shared article)
- decision-making (1 shared article)
- adolescence (1 shared article)
Applications
Risk-taking and Social Cognition
Superior social cognition in childhood, defined as demonstrated false belief understanding combined with above-average social competence on the Sally-Anne Task at ages 5 and 7, is positively associated with risk adjustment at age 14 but does not significantly predict overall impulsive risk-taking. This dissociation supports the Social-Motivational Flexibility Model, which frames adolescent decision-making as tied to social-affective maturation and cognitive flexibility rather than to inhibitory control alone. The association between childhood social cognition and adolescent risk adjustment persisted after controlling for sex, ethnicity, family income, parental education, vocabulary knowledge, and emotional and behavioural problems, with an effect size comparable to that of vocabulary knowledge.
Sources: Tsomokos & Flouri (2023)
Risk-taking and Decision-making
The Cambridge Gambling Task distinguishes overall risk-taking from risk adjustment, treating these as separable components of decision-making under risk. Risk adjustment tracks cognitive flexibility, specifically the capacity to update decisions when new information becomes available, whereas the overall risk-taking measure captures more impulsive, affective tendencies.
Sources: Tsomokos & Flouri (2023)
