Does mood state change risk taking tendency in older adults?
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
Psychology and Aging
Publication Date
1-1-2007
Volume
22
Issue
2
First Page
310
Last Page
318
Keywords
aging, positive and negative mood induction, risk taking tendency
Abstract
No study has been conducted to evaluate the influences of age differences on specific moods for risk taking tendencies. This study examined the patterns of risk taking tendencies among younger and older persons in 3 transient affective states: positive, neutral, and negative moods. By means of viewing happy, neutral, or sad movie clips, participants were induced to the respective mood. Risk taking tendencies were measured with decision tasks modified from the Choice Dilemmas Questionnaire (N. Kogan & M. A. Wallach, 1964). Consistent with the affect infusion model (J. P. Forgas, 1995), risk taking tendency was greater for those individuals who were in a happy mood than for those who were in a sad mood, for both young and older participants. However, an asymmetrical effect of positive and negative mood on risk taking tendency was identified among both the young and older participants, but in opposite directions. These results are consistent with the predictions of the negativity bias and the positivity effect found in young and older adults, respectively, and are interpreted via information processing and motivation effects of mood on the decision maker.
DOI
10.1037/0882-7974.22.2.310
Print ISSN
08827974
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2007 American Psychological Association. Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Chou, K.-L., Lee, T. M. C., & Ho, A. H. Y. (2007). Does mood state change risk taking tendency in older adults? Psychology and Aging, 22(2), 310-318. doi: 10.1037/0882-7974.22.2.310