Author(s)

Ronnie L. McGhee, David J. Ehrler, Joseph A. Buckhalt, Carol Phillips

Auburn University, Alabama, USA.
Clocktower Hill Research and Publishing Group, USA.
Lee County School System, Georgia, USA.

The predictive relation between Five-Factor Model (FFM) personality traits using the Five Factor Personality Inventory-Children (FFPI-C) and degrees of risk-taking in preadolescents (ages 10 to 12) was studied in a sample of 50 fifth-graders. Results indicated that high Extraversion and Openness to Experience and low Conscientiousness were correlated with high risk-taking. The FFPI-C factors were significantly predictive of risk-taking behavior, and accounted for 42% of the risk-taking variance, based on a multiple regression analysis. These findings suggest that the same mechanisms that are associated with adult risk-taking may already be present in children as young as 10 to 12-years of age.

Risk-Taking; Five Factor Model; Preadolescents; Personality; Child Development

McGhee, R. , Ehrler, D. , Buckhalt, J. & Phillips, C. (2012). The Relation between Five-Factor Personality Traits and Risk-Taking Behavior in Preadolescents. Psychology, 3, 558-561. doi: 10.4236/psych.2012.38083.