The effect of perceived control on risk taking

The experiment investigates the effect of perceived control on risk taking in a dynamic, everyday task. Using established and validated video simulation techniques, the risk-taking preferences for 96 drivers were measured for a range of driving activities (speed choice, following distance, gap acceptance, and overtaking). The perceived control manipulation was as follows: Half of the participants were told to imagine they were driving the vehicle, and the other half were told to imagine they were passengers. Those who were told to imagine they were driving chose significantly faster speeds than did those who were told to imagine they were passengers. Differences for the other risk-taking measures were not significant. For speed choice, it could be argued that an illusion of control was in operation, such that those who were in control (i.e., drivers) were comfortable with a higher level of risk than those who were not in control (i.e., passengers).