Towards the development of an evolutionarily valid domain-specific risk-taking scale (2007)

Abstract

From an evolutionary perspective, human risk-taking behaviors should be viewed in relation to evolutionarily recurrent survival and reproductive problems. In response to recent calls for domain-specific measures of risk-taking, we emphasize the need of evolutionarily valid domains. We report on two studies designed to validate a scale of risky behaviors in domains selected from research and theory in evolutionary psychology and biology, corresponding to reoccurring challenges in the ancestral environment. Behaviors were framed in situations which people would have some chance of encountering in modern times. We identify five domains of risk-taking: between-group competition, within-group competition, mating and resource allocation for mate attraction, environmental risks, and fertility risks. Keywords:

Bibliographic entry

Kruger, D. J., Wang, X.-T., & Wilke, A. (2007). Towards the development of an evolutionarily valid domain-specific risk-taking scale. Evolutionary Psychology, 5, 555-568. (Full text)

Miscellaneous

Publication year 2007
Document type: Article
Publication status: Published
External URL: http://www.epjournal.net/filestore/ep05555568.pdf View
Categories: Environment Structure
Keywords: adaptationdomain- specificityevolutionary domainsindividual differencesrisk taking

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