Drinking and driving: A prospective assessment of the relation
between risk cognitions and risk behavior.
Frederick X. Gibbons, David J. Lane, Meg Gerrard, Elizabeth A.
Pomery, Carrie L. Lautrup
(2002) Risk & Decision Policy, 7(3), 267-283.
This study examined the relations between risk cognitions and risk
behavior. Adolescents' perceptions of
the risks associated with driving after drinking (DAD) and their perceptions of
the prevalence of this behavior among their peers were assessed, and these
perceptions were used to predict their DAD behavior. Results provided evidence of a type of cognitive social
influence: the more common adolescents thought the behavior was, the less risk,
both personal and general, they attributed to it. As expected, however, this relation was significant only for
those who were high in a tendency to engage in social comparison. Perceptions of risk, in turn, were
prospectively related to risk behavior for all participants. Specifically, low perceived risk, especially
personal risk, was associated with an increase in DAD behavior. Implications of the results for DAD
interventions are discussed.