Peer Influence on Adolescent Risk-Taking in a Gambling Task

Purpose: Adolescents are both more prone to peer influence and more likely to take risks than any other age group. The current study aims to build upon Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, that found when a small group of teens was asked to participate in a risk-taking gambling task, the majority altered their response strategy to take more risks or to be more conservative to match that of a friend's. The author of the current study used a similar approach to that described above; however, he sought to determine whether the observation of a friend receiving a reward or losing would impact the risks adolescents took in the gambling task. The timing of changes in risk-taking behavior in adolescence can be attributed to the ongoing development of the prefrontal cortex and is further exaggerated by social factors such as the presence of peers. Methodology: A between-subjects experimental design was employed with participants recruited from a high school and a summer program for talented teenagers. Three conditions were tested: observing a peer win, observing a peer lose, or no peer observation (control). Risk-taking was measured through rounds risked, dropout point, number of wins, and final outcome in a computerized gambling paradigm. Statistical analyses included one-way ANOVA, Pearson’s Chi-squared, and multiple regression to assess group differences and predictors of risk-taking behavior. Findings: Both peer-winning and peer-losing observation groups risked significantly more rounds than the control group, though there was no significant difference between observing peer success versus failure. Peer observation, regardless of outcome, led to riskier behavior, while a greater number of personal wins robustly predicted continued risk-taking. Although the study’s manipulated conditions did not yield statistically significant group differences in risk-taking or wins via ANOVA, regression analyses demonstrated that both peer exposure and reinforcement histories independently contributed to adolescents’ decisions, supporting a model where social and reward-driven mechanisms interact. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice, and Policy: The study contributes to the theoretical perspective by suggesting that observing peer behavior can potentially increase risk taking in adolescents, independently of whether peers are observed to receive positive or negative consequences for their actions. In terms of practice and policy, the study highlights the need for prevention and intervention efforts that consider the indirect and general effects of peer influence on adolescent decision making, and the importance of social context even when there are no clear incentives or disincentives present. Educators and policymakers should consider the implications of both social facilitation and reinforcement feedback mechanisms in developing strategies to reduce adolescent risk taking.