Risk-taking unmasked: Using risky choice and temporal discounting to explain COVID-19 preventative behaviors.

ABSTRACT: To reduce the spread of COVID-19 transmission, government agencies in the United States (US) recommended precautionary guidelines, including wearing masks and social distancing to encourage the prevention of the disease. However, compliance with these guidelines has been inconsistent. This correlational study examined whether individual differences in risky decision-making and motivational propensities predicted compliance with COVID-19 preventative behaviors in a sample of US adults (N = 404). Participants completed an online study from September through December 2020 that included a risky choice decision-making task, temporal discounting task, and measures of appropriate mask-wearing, social distancing, and perceived risk of engaging in public activities. Linear regression results indica

SUBMITTER: Byrne KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8118306 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature