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David M. Einhorn Center for Community Engagement A new integration of the Office of Engagement Initiatives and the Public Service Center

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Engaged Undergraduate Research Grants

Engaged Risky Decision Making

Studying adolescent perception of risk around driving, unprotected sex and substance abuse in order to understand how behaviors change when risks and benefits are presented in different ways.

New research shows that adolescents are driven to risky behavior not only because of their desire for sensation and reward but also because of the way they process information. When making decisions, adolescents rely on verbatim details, while adults focus on the gist, or bottom-line meaning of information, which reduces risk taking. In this project, Cornell students conduct a research project that gives a group of adolescents in the College Discovery Program at the Ithaca Youth Bureau the opportunity to gain insight into their own risks. The undergraduates engage the adolescents in discussions about risky behaviors, such as those involving sports injuries and, specifically, concussions. The undergraduates then collect and analyze the data in the Laboratory for Rational Decision Making in the College of Human Ecology.

Topics: Children, Youth, Seniors and Families; Health, Nutrition and Medicine

The Team

  • Valerie Reyna, Department of Human Development

    College of Human Ecology

  • Allison Hermann, Department of Human Development

    College of Human Ecology

  • Community partner:  College Discovery Program at the Ithaca Youth Bureau
  • Community partner:  Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County

In the News

FEBRUARY 2019 
5 Questions with Valerie Reyna, Department for Human Development Professor and Extension Leader
– Cornell Cooperative Extension website

OCTOBER 3, 2017 
Simulation workshops teach youth about concussion risks
– College of Human Ecology Human Development website


Engaged Undergraduate Research Grants

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David M. Einhorn Center for Community Engagement

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