THE CONTINGENT EFFECTS OF RISK PERCEPTION ON RISK-TAKING BEHAVIOR - ADOLESCENT PARTICIPATIVE ORIENTATION AND MARIJUANA USE

Viewing marijuana use as a risk-taking behavior, we find that the perc eption of high risk related to regular use of marijuana has no simple direct effect on that risk-taking behavior. Rather, the effect of risk perception is contingent upon the extent of youth participation in ac tivities such as going to parties, going to bars, attending concerts a nd visiting friends. The perception of risk suppresses marijuana use m ost effectively in the context of activities where such a risk-taking behavior is most prevalent. These findings are congruent with recent l iterature on actions of risk-taking that takes into account the subjec tive meaning orientation as a moderator between perception and action. These lead us to conclude that a behavioral-specific approach can aug ment the conventional approach to common factors underlying the youths ' proneness to problem behaviors.