Correlates of Risky DecisionMaking

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to develop a personality pattern which could be used for both the explication and prediction of risky behavior in a variety of decisionmaking situations. Two months after the completion of a battery of psychological examinations, 240 randomly selected subjects responded to three problems adapted from the Kogan and Wallach Choice Dilemma Problems. Analyses of the data (correlational, factor analytic, and stepwise multiple regression) revealed a stable personality index representative of individuals exhibiting riskiness in decisionmaking. Variables contributing to this pattern characterized a dynamic task oriented individual. The results of this study should prove useful to future decisionmaking research by providing a framework for prediction. © 1976, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.