Current Citations:
Davies, Todd. “PDF.” 2007.
Pound, Pandora, and Rona Campbell. “Locating and Applying Sociological Theories of Risk-Taking to Develop Public Health Interventions for Adolescents.” Health Sociology Review : the Journal of the Health Section of the Australian Sociological Association, Routledge, 2 Jan. 2015, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4409085/.
Rahn, Johanna, et al. “Mindset Dynamics in Risk Taking - How Decision Making and Performance Can Profit from Deliberative and Implemental States of Mind.” Zeppelin Universität Friedrichshafen, Semantic Scholar, 8 June 2016, https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/b5ca/8204bea0c575a7362ea66b699836a5c26c6f.pdf.
Based on the links above, I have been reading about why people (adolescents, for this study) exhibit reckless behaviors and in what environments those reckless behaviors are common in. I believe that Dungeons and Dragons and role playing games are actually a good way for adolescents to flex their decision-making skills and make choices with less risk.
The Rubicon Model of Action Phases and Mindset Theory of Action Phases (sec. 2.2.1 in Mindset Dynamics in Risk Taking - How Decision Making and Performance can Profit from Deliberative and Implemental States of Mind) shows the different stages of making a decision (photo inserted as header). Goal pursuit and problem solving skills are both attained via this flow chart. Each phase has very "task-specific cognitive demands" that involve weighing risks and finding optimal solutions.
The main categories of risk-taking, as shown by the Health Sociological Review, include:
- Lack of social integration
- Isolation from mainstream society
- Rites of passage
- A response to social constraints
- Resistance
- Adolescent development
- Habitus (ingrained dispositions)
A lot of these categories are found in the lives of adolescents, and strong social bonds/morals will help lessen reckless behavior (says the study). However, my claim is that reckless behavior should be encouraged in adolescents on a small scale. When it comes to video/tabletop games, adolescent experience with rationalization and weighing options is critical. Many of the parts of decision making explained in both Mindset Dynamics and the Stanford slideshow (dependence on ratios, discount rate, projection bias, etc.) can be utilized in games. The skills used will thus grow and change as a result and adolescents will benefit.
Questions I have moving forward:
Can I find examples of people who have played games and benefited/used games to benefit society?
How impressionable are adolescent minds as compared to adults? Do adults still benefit from these game "exercises"?
What are negative consequences of using these games as a teaching tool?
