From the Distal to the Proximate: Exploring Social Cognitions in Risk-taking

Abstract

Risk-sensitivity theory suggests people engage in risk-taking when they cannot fulfill needs through risk-averse behavior. Both proximate mechanisms (e.g., affect, social cognition) and distal mechanisms (e.g., early developmental environments) have been shown to influence risk-taking. However, little is understood about how such mechanisms contribute to the perception of benefits derived from risk-taking. A pilot study (n = 172) and follow-up confirmatory study (n = 295) were conducted to identify which proximate and distal mechanisms were associated with the perception of increased benefits from risk-taking. I specifically examined if benefit perceptions of risk-taking were associated with distal, developmental inputs (early environmental harshness and unpredictability, life history orientation) and more proximate dispositional and situational factors (cognitive distortions, locus of control, self-efficacy, negative socioemotional comparisons, dispositional envy). Five questions were addressed by the study. First, do social cognitions load onto a single factor? A confirmatory factor analysis indicated negative socioemotional comparisons (NSECS), cognitive distortions (CDS) and external locus of control (c.LOC; p.LOC) loaded onto a single factor. Model fit was improved through allowing the external locus of control subscales to covary. (2) How are distal mechanisms and social cognitions associated? Zero-sum correlations indicated cognitive distortions and negative socioemotional comparisons were consistently associated with early environmental harshness and unpredictability (rs = .12 to .31, ps < .05). Hierarchical multiple regressions also indicated that early environmental harshness and unpredictability account for significant incremental change in negative socioemotional comparison tendencies and dispositional envy propensity, F(12, 271) = 6.96, p < .001, R2 = .24 and F(12, 271) = 4.23, p <.001, R2 = .16, respectively. (3) How are distal mechanisms and risk-taking associated? Zero-sum correlations indicated benefit perceptions of risk-taking was associated with adverse childhood experiences (r = .31, p < .001). General risk attitudes were associated with all early environmental conditions (rs = .13 to .23, ps <.05). Hierarchical multiple regressions also indicated that early environmental harshness and unpredictability account for significant incremental change in benefit perceptions of risk-taking and risk attitudes, F(12, 271) = 9.04, p < .001, R2 = .29 and F(12, 271) = 5.27, p < .001, R2 = .19, respectively. (4) How are social cognitions and risk-taking associated? Zero-sum correlations indicated benefit perceptions of risk-taking was associated with all measured social cognitions (r = .16 to .35, p < .001). General risk attitudes were also associated with external locus of control (rs = .13 to .14, ps < .05), but not negative socioemotional comparisons nor cognitive distortions. (5) Do social cognitions mediate associations between distal mechanisms and risk-taking? Four path analysis models were tested to identify how social cognitions may mediate associations between distal mechanisms and benefit perceptions of risk-taking. Each model demonstrated some measure of good fit, but no model was determined to generate an adequate model fit across multiple measures. This study is one of the first empirical examinations of benefit perceptions of risk, and is the first attempt to model the relationships between benefit perceptions of risk and antecedent proximal and distal variables.

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