Go Fast! Reaction Time Differences between Adults and Adolescents in Evaluating Risky Traffic Situations

Abstract

This study investigated the hypothesis that adults are faster than adolescents in responding to risks. Twenty-six adolescents (M_age = 15 years) and 26 adults (M_age = 47 years) responded to risky situations (e.g. ‘Is it a good idea to drive a car while having drunk alcohol?’) and non-risky situations (e.g. ‘… wear a helmet while riding a moped?’) in a choice reaction time task. Adults responded 110ms faster to both risky and non-risky questions than adolescents. Both adolescents and adults responded on average 100ms faster to risky questions than to non-risky questions. The results of this study suggest a possible explanation for the increased accident involvement of adolescents in traffic.

Keywords

adolescence adults males public health psychology risk

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