Cognitive Control as a Moderator of Temperamental Motivations Toward Adolescent Risk‐Taking Behavior. Issue 2 (23rd January 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Youssef, George J.; Whittle, Sarah; Allen, Nicholas B.; Lubman, Dan I.; Simmons, Julian G.; Yücel, Murat
• Is Part Of: Child development. Volume 87:Issue 2(2016:Mar./Apr.)
• Page Start: 395
• Page End: 404
• Publication Date: 2016-01-23
• Subjects: Child development -- Periodicals; Child psychology -- Periodicals; Child Development -- Periodicals; Child Development; Pediatrics -- Periodicals; Pedicatrics; 305.231
• DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12480
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0009-3920

Abstract

Abstract : Few studies have directly examined whether cognitive control can moderate the influence of temperamental positive and negative affective traits on adolescent risk‐taking behavior. Using a combined multimethod, latent variable approach to the assessment of adolescent risk‐taking behavior and cognitive control, this study examined whether cognitive control moderates the influence of temperamental surgency and frustration on risk‐taking behavior in a sample of 177 adolescents ( M age = 16.12 years, SD = 0.69). As predicted, there was a significant interaction between cognitive control and frustration, but not between cognitive control and surgency, in predicting risk‐taking behavior. These findings have important implications and suggest that the determinants of adolescent risk taking depend on the valence of the affective motivation for risk‐taking behavior.