PREDICTORS OF CHILDRENS RISK APPRAISALS

This study explored variables associated with cognitive appraisals of physical risk in a sample of 62 elementary school children. Participan ts were presented with drawings of persons in three categories of risk y situations typical of children, typical of adults, and typical of te levision plots. They were asked to judge the potential for physical in jury in each. Results indicated that children tended to appraise risks in child, adult, and TV-plot risk situations differently, and that ea ch type of situation was predicted by different variables. For the chi ld situations, greater amounts of direct experience with the risk situ ation itself was found to be associated with lower risk appraisals. Ap praisals of adult risk situations were predicted by age, with older ch ildren reporting lower risk appraisals. Sensation seeking, injury hist ory, and weekday cartoon viewing all predicted lower risk appraisals o f television situations. Implications of these findings for knowledge about the origins of childhood injury are discussed.