scholarly journals Psychopathy and Risk Taking Among Jailed Inmates

2010 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 439-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc T. Swogger ◽  
Zach Walsh ◽  
C.W. Lejuez ◽  
David S. Kosson
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Clinical Utility ◽  
Risky Behaviors ◽  
Externalizing Disorders ◽  
Behavioral Measure ◽  
Jail Inmates ◽  
Balloon Analogue Risk Task ◽  
Drug Use Disorders ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
And Performance

Several clinical descriptions of psychopathy suggest a link to risk taking, but the empirical basis for this association is not well established. Moreover, it is not clear whether any association between psychopathy and risk taking is specific to psychopathy or reflects shared variance with other externalizing disorders, such as antisocial personality disorder, alcohol use disorders, and drug use disorders. The present study aimed to clarify relationships between psychopathy and risky behavior among male county jail inmates using both self-reports of real-world risky behaviors and performance on the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), a behavioral measure of risk taking. Findings suggest that associations between externalizing disorders and self-reported risk taking largely reflect shared mechanisms. However, psychopathy appears to account for unique variance in self-reported irresponsible and criminal risk taking beyond that associated with other externalizing disorders. By contrast, none of the disorders was associated with risk-taking behavior on the BART, potentially indicating limited clinical utility for the BART in differentiating members of adult offender populations.

Evaluation of a behavioral measure of risk taking: The Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART).

2002 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. W. Lejuez ◽  
Jennifer P. Read ◽  
Christopher W. Kahler ◽  
Jerry B. Richards ◽  
Susan E. Ramsey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Behavioral Measure ◽  
Balloon Analogue Risk Task

scholarly journals The assessment of physical risk taking: Preliminary construct validation of a new behavioral measure

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. e0258826
Author(s):  
Edward A. Smith ◽  
Stephen D. Benning
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Real World ◽  
Sensation Seeking ◽  
Risky Behaviors ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Behavioral Measure ◽  
Behavioral Risk ◽  
Exploratory Investigation ◽  
Outcome Scores ◽  
Physical Risk

Risk taking is a complex heterogeneous construct that has proven difficult to assess, especially when using behavioral tasks. We present an exploratory investigation of new measure–the Assessment of Physical Risk Taking (APRT). APRT produces a variety of different outcome scores and is designed as a comprehensive assessment of the probability of success and failure, and magnitude of reward and punishment of different types of simulated physically risky behaviors. Effects observed on the simulated behaviors are hypothesized to reflect similar effects on real world physical risks. Participants (N = 224) completed APRT in a laboratory setting, half of whom had a 1.5 s delay interposed between button presses. Exploratory analyses utilizing generalized estimating equations examined the main effects and two-way interactions among five within-subject factors, as well as two-way interactions between the within-subject factors and Delay across four APRT outcome scores. Results indicated that Injury Magnitude and Injury Probability exerted stronger effects than any of the other independent variables. Participants also completed several self-report measures of risk taking and associated constructs (e.g., sensation seeking), which were correlated with APRT scores to assess the preliminary convergent and divergent validity of the new measure. After correcting for multiple comparisons, APRT scores correlated with self-reported risk taking in thrilling, physically dangerous activities specifically, but only for those who did not have a delay between APRT responses. This promising exploratory investigation highlights the need for future studies comparing APRT to other behavioral risk taking tasks, examining the robustness of the observed APRT effects, and investigating how APRT may predict real-world physical risk taking.

scholarly journals Representative Design in Psychological Assessment: A Case Study Using the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus D. Steiner ◽  
Renato Frey
Keyword(s):  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Behavioral Measure ◽  
Measurement Instruments ◽  
Balloon Analogue Risk Task ◽  
Representative Design

Representative design refers to the idea that experimental stimuli should be sampled or designed such that they represent the environments to which measured constructs are supposed to generalize. In this article we investigate the role of representative design in achieving valid and reliable psychological assessments, by focusing on a widely used behavioral measure of risk taking–the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART). Specifically, we demonstrate that the typical implementation of this task violates the principle of representative design, thus conflicting with the expectations people likely form from real balloons. This observation may provide an explanation for the previously observed limitations in some of the BART's psychometric properties (e.g., convergent validity with other measures of risk taking). To experimentally test the effects of improved representative designs, we conducted two extensive empirical studies (N = 772 and N = 632), finding that participants acquired more accurate beliefs about the optimal behavior in the BART due to these task adaptions. Yet, improving the task's representativeness proved to be insufficient to enhance the BART's psychometric properties. It follows that for the development of valid behavioral measurement instruments–as are needed, for instance, in functional neuroimaging studies–our field has to overcome the philosophy of the "repair program" (i.e., fixing existing tasks). Instead, we suggest that the development of valid task designs requires novel ecological assessments, aimed at identifying those real-life behaviors and associated psychological processes that lab tasks are supposed to capture and generalize to.

scholarly journals The Assessment of Physical Risk Taking: Construct Validation of a New Behavioral Measure

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Smith ◽  
Stephen D Benning
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Risky Behaviors ◽  
Behavioral Measure ◽  
Laboratory Setting ◽  
Outcome Scores ◽  
Probability Of Success ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Physical Risk ◽  
Injury Probability ◽  
Main Effects

Risk taking is a complex heterogeneous construct that has proven difficult to assess, especially when using behavioral tasks. We present a new measure – the Assessment of Physical Risk Taking (APRT) – as a comprehensive assessment of the probability of success and failure, and magnitude of reward and punishment of different types of physically risky behaviors with a variety of outcome scores. Participants (N = 224) completed APRT in a laboratory setting, half of whom had a 1.5 s delay interposed between button presses. Main effects, two-way interactions among five within-subject factors, and interactions between the within-subject factors and Delay were estimated for four APRT outcome scores using Generalized Estimating Equations. Results indicated that Injury Magnitude and Injury Probability exerted much stronger effects than the other factors. APRT scores correlated with self-reported risk taking in thrilling activities specifically, but only for those who did not have a delay between APRT responses.

The Multiple Faces of Risk-Taking

2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Schmitz ◽  
Karsten Manske ◽  
Franzis Preckel ◽  
Oliver Wilhelm
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Formal Models ◽  
Experimental Paradigm ◽  
Nomological Network ◽  
Balloon Analogue Risk Task ◽  
Parameter Recovery ◽  
Task Specificity ◽  
Available Information ◽  
Criterion Variables

Abstract. The Balloon-Analogue Risk Task (BART; Lejuez et al., 2002 ) is one of the most popular behavioral tasks suggested to assess risk-taking in the laboratory. Previous research has shown that the conventionally computed score is predictive, but neglects available information in the data. We suggest a number of alternative scores that are motivated by theories of risk-taking and that exploit more of the available data. These scores can be grouped around (1) risk-taking, (2) task performance, (3) impulsive decision making, and (4) reinforcement sequence modulation. Their theoretical rationale is detailed and their validity is tested within the nomological network of risk-taking, deviance, and scholastic achievement. Two multivariate studies were conducted with youths (n = 435) and with adolescents/young adults (n = 316). Additionally, we tested formal models suggested for the BART that decompose observed behavior into a set of meaningful parameters. A simulation study with parameter recovery was conducted, and the data from the two studies were reanalyzed using the models. Most scores were reliable and differentially predictive of criterion variables and may be used in basic research. However, task specificity and the generally moderate validity do not warrant use of the experimental paradigm for diagnostic purposes.

Internal Control Quality and Bank Risk-Taking and Performance

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Baugh ◽  
Matthew Ege ◽  
Christopher G. Yust
Keyword(s):  
Internal Control ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Downside Risk ◽  
Internal Controls ◽  
Bank Risk ◽  
Material Weakness ◽  
Control Quality ◽  
Interest Income ◽  
Upside Risk ◽  
And Performance

Using a sample of bank-years from 2005 to 2017, we examine the effect of internal control quality on future risk-taking and performance. We find that banks that disclose a material weakness in internal controls have higher risk-taking and worse performance in the future, including having a higher (lower) likelihood of experiencing large losses (gains). These findings suggest that weak controls increase (reduce) downside (upside) risk-taking or conversely that strong controls increase (reduce) upside (downside) risk-taking. Path analyses suggest that 22.3 to 43.7 percent of the effect of internal control quality on future performance is through risk-taking. Additionally, material weaknesses are negatively associated with total asset, loan, interest income, and non-interest income growth, suggesting that internal control quality affects both core and non-core activities of banks. Overall, results suggest that strong internal controls improve bank risk-taking, in part through asymmetrically reducing downside risk-taking while facilitating upside risk-taking, ultimately improving bank performance.

scholarly journals Towards Routine Implementation of Liquid Biopsies in Cancer Management: It Is Always Too Early, until Suddenly It Is Too Late

Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 103
Author(s):  
Maarten J. IJzerman ◽  
Jasper de Boer ◽  
Arun Azad ◽  
Koen Degeling ◽  
Joel Geoghegan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Utility ◽  
Clinical Laboratory ◽  
Genomic Analysis ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Liquid Biopsies ◽  
Blood Draw ◽  
Minimum Quality Standards ◽  
Cancer Management ◽  
Alternative Funding ◽  
And Performance

Blood-based liquid biopsies are considered a new and promising diagnostic and monitoring tool for cancer. As liquid biopsies only require a blood draw, they are non-invasive, potentially more rapid and assumed to be a less costly alternative to genomic analysis of tissue biopsies. A multi-disciplinary workshop (n = 98 registrations) was organized to discuss routine implementation of liquid biopsies in cancer management. Real-time polls were used to engage with experts’ about the current evidence of clinical utility and the barriers to implementation of liquid biopsies. Clinical, laboratory and health economics presentations were given to illustrate the opportunities and current levels of evidence, followed by three moderated break-out sessions to discuss applications. The workshop concluded that tumor-informed assays using next-generation sequencing (NGS) or PCR-based genotyping assays will most likely provide better clinical utility than tumor-agnostic assays, yet at a higher cost. For routine application, it will be essential to determine clinical utility, to define the minimum quality standards and performance of testing platforms and to ensure their use is integrated into current clinical workflows including how they complement tissue biopsies and imaging. Early health economic models may help identifying the most viable application of liquid biopsies. Alternative funding models for the translation of complex molecular diagnostics, such as liquid biopsies, may also be explored if clinical utility has been demonstrated and when their use is recommended in multi-disciplinary consensus guidelines.

Dissecting the Effects of Disease and Treatment on Impulsivity in Parkinson's Disease

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 942-951 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison C. Simioni ◽  
Alain Dagher ◽  
Lesley K. Fellows
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Disease Progression ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Temporal Discounting ◽  
Baseline Risk ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Risky Decision ◽  
Balloon Analogue Risk Task

AbstractConverging evidence, including observations in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), suggests that dopamine plays a role in impulsivity. This multi-faceted construct includes considerations of both time and risk; determining how these more specific processes are affected by PD and dopaminergic treatment can inform neurobiological models. We examined the effects of PD and its treatment on temporal discounting and risky decision-making in a cohort of 23 mild-moderate PD patients and 20 healthy participants. Patients completed the Balloon Analogue Risk Task and a temporal discounting paradigm both on and off their usual dopamine replacement therapy. PD patients did not differ from controls in their initial risk-taking on the Balloon Analogue Risk Task, but took progressively more risks across trials when on medication. A subset of patients and controls was tested again, 1.5–3 years later, to explore the effects of disease progression. On follow-up, baseline risk-taking diminished in patients, but the tendency to take increasing risks across trials persisted. Neither disease progression nor its treatment affected the temporal discounting rate. These findings suggest a different neural basis for temporal discounting and risk-taking, and demonstrate that risk-taking can be further decomposed into initial and trial-by-trial effects, with dopamine affecting only the latter. (JINS, 2012, 18, 1–10)

Longitudinal Increases in Parent–Child Relationship Quality and Sensation Seeking Interact to Increase Risk-Taking During the College Transition

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
João F. Guassi Moreira ◽  
Eva H. Telzer
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Quality ◽  
College Transition ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Sensation Seeking ◽  
Risky Behaviors ◽  
Parent Child Relationship ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Child Relationship ◽  
Risk Taking Behaviors ◽  
Parent Child

We tested two competing predictions of whether changes in parent–child relationship quality buffer or exacerbate the association between sensation-seeking and risk-taking behaviors as individuals gain more independence during the high school–college transition. In the current longitudinal study, 287 participants completed self-report measures of sensation seeking, risk-taking, and parent–child relationship quality with their parents prior to starting college and again during their first semester. Overall, students displayed increases in risky behaviors, which were predicted by sensation seeking. Changes in relationship quality moderated the association between sensation seeking and risk-taking, such that sensation seeking predicted higher risk-taking behaviors during the first semester of college, but only for those who reported increases in relationship quality across the college transition. These results suggest that increased relationship quality may have an inadvertent spillover effect by interacting with sensation seeking to increase risky behaviors.

scholarly journals Can Risk-Taking Be an Endophenotype for Bipolar Disorder? A Study on Patients with Bipolar Disorder Type I and Their First-Degree Relatives

2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 474-482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ceren Hıdıroğlu ◽  
Özlem Demirci Esen ◽  
Zeliha Tunca ◽  
Şehnaz Neslihan Gűrz Yalçìn ◽  
Lauren Lombardo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Outcome Measure ◽  
Bipolar Disorders ◽  
Type I ◽  
Balloon Analogue Risk Task ◽  
First Degree Relatives ◽  
Risk Taking Behavior ◽  
Disorder Type ◽  
Core Features

AbstractRisk-taking behavior and impulsivity are core features of bipolar disorder. Whether they are part of the inherited aspect of the illness is not clear. We aimed to evaluate risk-taking behavior as a potential endophenotype for bipolar disorders, and its relationship with impulsivity and illness features. The Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11) were used to assess risk-taking behavior and impulsivity respectively in 30 euthymic bipolar I patients (BD), their 25 asymptomatic first-degree relatives (BD-R), and 30 healthy controls (HC). The primary BART outcome measure was the behavioral adjustment score (number of pumps after trials where the balloon did not pop minus the number of pumps after trials where the balloon popped). BD (p< .001) and BD-R (p= .001) had similar and significantly lower adjustment scores than HC. Only BD scored significantly higher on BIS-11 total (p= .01) and motor (p= .04) subscales than HC. Neither the BART, nor impulsivity scores associated with illness features. A limitation of this study is medicated patients and a heterogeneous BD-R were included. Riskiness may be a candidate endophenotype for bipolar disorder as it appears independently from illness features, presents similarly in BD and BD-R groups and differs from impulsivity. (JINS, 2013,19, 1–9)

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