Type of Document	Thesis
Author	Baker, Jr., Michael Drew
Author's Email Address	baker@psy.fsu.edu
URN	etd-11092007-084539
Title	Risk-Taking as a Mating Strategy: The Roles of Sexual Arousal, Motivation, and Situational Context in Risky Behavior
Degree	Master of Science
Department	Psychology, Department of
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title Jon K. Maner Committee Member N. Brad Schmidt Committee Member Roy F. Baumeister Committee Member
Keywords	Decision Making Risk-Taking Motivation Emotion Self Presentation Sexual Arousal
Date of Defense	2007-10-23
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract Two experiments provide evidence that affective and motivational states associated with mating may play an important role in guiding risk decision-making processes. Study 1 revealed a positive relationship between sexual arousal and risk-taking, but only in men who were exposed to a romantically available opposite sex individual who purportedly would view their risk-taking performance. Study 2 demonstrated a positive relationship between mating motivation and risk-taking, but only in men who had been exposed to images of highly attractive females. Taken together, results suggest that affective/motivational states associated with mating may promote risk-taking, but that these effects are sex-specific, and are sensitive to situational context. This research highlights the utility of using an evolutionary approach to understand affective and motivational determinants of risky decision-making.
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