Age and Framing Effects in the Balloon Analogue Risk Task.
Objectives Prior research has documented age differences in risky decisions and indicates that they are susceptible to gain versus loss framing. However, previous studies focused on "decisions from description" that explicitly spell out the probabilities involved. The present study expands this lite...
| Published in: | Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences & Social Sciences Vol. 77; no. 10; pp. 1820 - 1831 |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Article |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press / USA
Oct2022
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=159529289&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 159529289 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 10795014 JGB jtl: Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences & Social Sciences issn: 10795014 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Oct2022 vid: 77 iid: 10 pid: 622 pub: Oxford University Press / USA artinfo: ui: 159529289 10.1093/geronb/gbac060 ppf: 1820 ppct: 11 formats: tig: atl: Age and Framing Effects in the Balloon Analogue Risk Task. aug: au: Schulman, Adam T Chong, Amy W Löckenhoff, Corinna E affil: Department of Human Development, Cornell University , Ithaca, New York , USA su: Age distribution Task performance Risk assessment sug: subj: Age distribution Task performance Risk assessment keyword: Decision making Emotion Risk perception Time perception Decision making Emotion Risk perception Time perception ab: Objectives Prior research has documented age differences in risky decisions and indicates that they are susceptible to gain versus loss framing. However, previous studies focused on "decisions from description" that explicitly spell out the probabilities involved. The present study expands this literature by examining the effects of framing on age differences in the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), a widely used and ecologically valid measure of experience-based risky decision making that involves pumping a virtual balloon. Methods In a preregistered study, younger (aged 18–30, n = 129) and older adults (aged 60 and older, n = 125) were randomly assigned to either a gain version of the BART, where pumping the balloon added monetary gains, or a loss version, where pumping the balloon avoided monetary losses. Results We found a significant age by frame interaction on risk-taking: in the loss frame, older adults pumped more frequently and experienced more popped balloons than younger adults, whereas in the gain frame no significant age differences were found. Total performance on the BART did not vary by age or frame. Supplementary analyses indicated that age differences in pumping rates were most pronounced at the beginning of the BART and leveled off in subsequent trials. Controlling for age differences in motivation, personality, and cognition did not account for age differences in risk-taking. Discussion In combination, findings suggest that age differences in risk-taking on the BART are more pronounced when the task context emphasizes avoiding losses rather than achieving gains. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
|---|