Optimistic Children Engage in More Constructive Risk-Taking Behaviors

Autor/inn/en	Lu, Monica S.; Hennefield, Laura; Tillman, Rebecca; Markson, Lori
Titel	Optimistic Children Engage in More Constructive Risk-Taking Behaviors
Quelle	In: International Journal of Behavioral Development, 47 (2023) 1, S.72-81 (10 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Hennefield, Laura)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0165-0254
DOI	10.1177/01650254221132766
Schlagwörter	Positive Attitudes; Risk; Child Behavior; Young Children; Childrens Attitudes; Physical Activities; Age Differences; Psychological Patterns; Risk Management + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Risiko; Frühe Kindheit; Age; Difference; Age difference; Altersunterschied; Risikomanagement
Abstract	Optimism is linked to persistence and resilience in adults; however, how optimism might relate to children's evaluations of potentially challenging situations and risk-taking behaviors is unknown. This study examined the role of optimism in 4- to 8-year-old children's (N = 121) perceptions of and willingness to engage in physical activities that ranged from low to high risk. Overall, children perceived activities with more risky elements as more dangerous and were less willing to try them, with this pattern strongest in older children. Moreover, children higher in optimism were (1) more willing to engage in moderate-risk activities relative to children lower in optimism, but (2) less willing to engage in the highest-risk activities--even though they perceived those highest-risk activities as less dangerous than children lower in optimism. These findings support the possibility that optimism motivates children to engage in beneficial moderately challenging activities and protects them from engaging in severe injury-inflicting activities. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01