Balloon Analog Risk Task - Conduct Science

The Balloon Analog Risk Task, otherwise known as BART, is a computerized decision-making task that is used to assess risk-taking behavior. 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Methods AcomputerisusedtoperformtheBalloonAnalogRiskTask.Duringthetask,eachparticipantispresentedwith90balloonsof3differentcolors.Theballoonsappearoneatatime.Participantsarerequiredtoclickabuttonlabeled‘BalloonPump.’Eachclickontheballoonpumpwillincreasethesizeoftheballoonandaccumulate5centsperclickinatemporarybank.Theparticipantsarenotshowntheamountbeingaccumulatedintheirtemporarybank.Atanytime,theparticipantcanpressanothertab,labeled‘Collect$,’totransferthecollectedmoneyintoapermanentbank.Iftheparticipantwishestocontinuepumpingtheballoon,theycandoso,untileventually,theballoonexplodes,resultinginthetemporaryfundsresettingtozeroandthenextballoonshowingup.However,iftheparticipantcollectsthemoneybeforetheballoonexplodes,theycanseetheamountearnedonthatparticularballoonviathetablabeled‘LastBalloon.’Themoneyinthepermanentbankwillnotbelostwhenaballoonexplodes.Attheendoftheexperiment,theparticipantcancollecttherewardaccumulatedinthepermanentbankintheformofgiftcertificates. Applications BalloonAnalogRiskTasktoAssessRiskyBehaviorsthatInfluenceMotorVehicleCrashInjuriesinAdolescentsVacaetal.(2013)evaluatedtheinfluenceofbehaviorsassociatedwiththeriskofvehiclecrashinjury.Adolescentpatients,aged14-18,wereaskedtoparticipateinthistrialusingamodifiedversionoftheBARTmodel(Lejuezetal.,(2002).Insteadofamonetaryreward,theparticipantswereallowedtoaccumulatepointswitheachpump.Therewereatotalof20trialsforeachparticipant.Resultsshowedapositivecorrelationbetweenself-reportofriskydriverbehaviorandriskybehaviorontheBART(i.e.,agreaternumberofpumps).  UseofBalloonAnalogRiskTasktoAssesstheChangeinRisk-TakingBehaviorthroughTranscranialAlternatingCurrentStimulationTranscranialalternatingcurrentstimulationisanapproachusedtostimulatethebrainwithbiophysicallyrelevantfrequencieswhileperformingatask;thismethodinvestigatesthefunctionalroleofneuraloscillationsincognitivetasksandascertainstheroleofneuronaloscillatoryactivitiesinthehumanbrain.Selaetal.(2012)aimedtoevaluatetheincreaseinrisk-takingbehaviorusingactivealternatingcurrentstimulationsduringBalloonAnalogRiskTask.Inthisexperiment,agroupof27healthycollegestudents,allright-handedandbetweentheagesof18-30,wereselected.Participantswererandomlyassignedtothreedifferentstimulationgroups(lefthemispherestimulation,righthemispherestimulation,andshamstimulation).Therewereatotalof30BARTtrialsforeachparticipant.Whiletherewasnodifferenceinthedecision-makingbetweentherighthemisphereandshamstimulations,theparticipantswhoreceivedlefthemispherestimulationdisplayedriskierdecision-makingwhileperformingtheBART. UseofBalloonAnalogRiskTasktoDifferentiatebetweenSmokersandNon-smokersLejuezetal.(2003)aimedtostudythedifferencebetweensmokersandnon-smokersusingtheBalloonAnalogRiskTask.Atotalofsixtyundergraduatestudents,betweentheagesof18-30,weredividedintotwogroups:smokersandnon-smokers.Thenumberofsmokerswas26,bothmaleandfemale,andthenumberofnon-smokerswas34,alsomaleandfemale.30trialswereconductedforeachparticipant.TheresultsofthisexperimentindicatedthatBARTwasrelatedtosmokingstatus.SmokersscoredhigherontheBalloonAnalogRiskTaskthannon-smokers(i.e.,theydisplayedanincreasedlevelofrisk-takingbehavior).  BalloonAnalogRiskTasktoAssesstheDifferentEffectsofStressonRisk-TakingBehaviorinMalesandFemalesLighthalletal.(2009)evaluatedtheeffectsofstressonrisk-takingbehaviorinmalesandfemales.Asampleof48participants(24femalesand24males)wasusedinthisexperiment.Theparticipantswereaskedtotakeastresstestbysubmergingtheirnon-dominanthandsinicewaterforthreeminutes.Cortisollevelswererecordedbeforeandafterthestresstestbytakingsalivasamples.Afterashortbreakof15minutes,participantswereaskedtotaketheBART.Resultsanalysisindicatedthatstresscausedanincreaseinmen’sriskybehaviorwhereasadecreaseinwomen’sriskybehavior.  UseofBalloonAnalogRiskTasktoCompareDecision-MakinginPatientswithBehavioralVariantFrontotemporalDementiaversusHealthyPatientsStrenzioketal.(2011)aimedtostudythedifferenceindecision-makingabilitiesofpatientswithbehavioralvariantfrontotemporaldementia(bvFTD)againsthealthypatients.Asampleof27patientswithbvFTDand19healthyparticipantswerechosentocompletetheBalloonAnalogRiskTask.Atotalof30trialswereconductedperparticipant.TheresultsindicatedthatpatientswithbvFTDdidnotmaximizetherewardsbylearningandpumpingtheballoonstomaximumcapacityoverthespanofthetrialswhereashealthyparticipantslearnedfrominitialtrialsandreceivedhigherscoresontheBART.  UseofBalloonAnalogRiskTasktoAssessDecision-MakinginAcquiredBrainInjuryBalagueroetal.(2014)evaluatedtheeffectsofacquiredbraininjuryinthedecision-makingprocessusingtheBalloonAnalogRiskTask.TheBARTwasadministeredto30patientswithacquiredbraininjuryand30healthyparticipants.Resultsindicatedthatthecontrolgroupofhealthypatientsmademorepumps,resultinginahigherscoreonBARTthantheexperimentalacquiredbraininjurygroup. DataAnalysis BalloonAnalogRiskTaskmeasurestherisk-takingbehaviorofanindividualbyrecording:TheaveragenumberofpumpsforeachballooncolorThetotalamountofearningsThenumberofexplodedballoons Cosmin Test-RetestReliabilityThetest-retestreliabilityoftheBalloonAnalogRiskTaskisadequateovertwoweeks,r=+.77 (Whiteetal.,2014). Moreover,the2-weektest-retestscoresfromself-reportedrisk-takingproclivitiesrangebetween+.73to+.96forself-reportedgambling (Weinstocketal.,2004), +.61to+.95forself-reportedsmoking (Choretal.,2003), and>+.7forself-reportedsedentaryactivity (Hardyetal.,2007). ConstructValidityTheconstructvalidityoftheBARThasbeenproven,andithasshowncorrelationswithAnti-socialBehaviorfactors(psychopathy)andself-reportedimpulsivity. StrengthsandLimitations StrengthsTheBalloonAnalogRiskTaskmeasuresthepropensityofanindividualtoindulgeinriskybehaviortogainapotentialreward.Itisacomputerizeddecision-makingtaskthatiseasytouse.BARTcanbeusedtoassesstheinfluenceofriskybehaviorssuchasdruguse,unprotectedsex,anddrivingwithoutwearingaseatbeltinadolescents.Ithasvastapplications,andwhencombinedwithself-reportsandothertests,suchastheSensationSeekingScale(Zuckermanetal.,1978) andEysenckImpulsivenessScale(Eysencketal.,1985),itbecomesareliablemeasureofrisk-takingbehavior. LimitationsLikeanyotherexperimentaltest,theBalloonAnalogRiskTaskhasitslimitations.TheBART,onitsown,cannotbeareliablemeasureofrisk-takingbehavior.Moreover,whenparticipantsknowthatriskybehaviorisbeingmonitored,itismorelikelytheywillbehavecautiouslywhenperformingtheBART,thus,decreasingthereliabilityofthedatacollected.Attimes,itisalsodifficulttoobtainademographicallyheterogeneoussamplewhichlimitsthegeneralizationoffindings. SummaryandKeyPoints Risk-takingbehaviorisanyconsciouslyorunconsciouslycontrolledbehaviorthatinvolvesacertaindegreeofdangerorharmwhilealsopresentinganopportunitytogainsomeformofreward.TheBalloonAnalogRiskTaskisacomputerizeddecision-makingtaskthatisusedtoassessrisk-takingbehavior.TheparticipantsareaskedtoperformtheBARTin90trialswiththreedifferentcoloredballoonsthatappearinrandomorder.Dataiscollectedforthepropensitytotakeanincreasedriskinordertogainmaximumreward. TheBARThasseveralapplicationsintherealworldsuchasstudyingriskybehavioracrossallgendersandindrivers,patientswithbraindiseasesaswellasbraininjuries. References Chor,D.Faerstein,E.,Alves,M.G.,&deSouzaLopes,C.(2003). HowReproducibleisSelf-ReportedInformationonExposuretoSmoking,Drinking,andDietaryPatterns?EvidenceAmongBrazilianAdultsinthePro-SaudeStudy. SaoPauloMedicalJournal, 121(2):63-6.Hardly,L.L.,Booth,M.L.,&Okely,A.D.(2007). TheReliabilityoftheAdolescentSedentaryActivityQuestionnaire(ASAQ). PreventiveMedicine, 45(1):71-4.Lejuez,C.W.,Read,J.P.,Kahler,C.W.,Richards,J.B.,Ramsey,S.E.,Stuart,G.L.,Strong,D.R.,&Brown,R.A.(2002). Evaluationofabehavioralmeasureofrisktaking:TheBalloonAnalogRiskTask(BART). JournalofExperimentalPsychology:Applied, 8(2),75–84.Lejuez,C.W.,Aklin,W.M.,Jones,H.A.,Richards,J.B.,Strong,D.R.,Kahler,C.W.,&Read,J.P.(2003). Theballoonanalogrisktask(BART)differentiatessmokersandnonsmokers. ExperimentalandClinicalPsychopharmacology, 11(1),26–33.Lighthall,N.R.,Mather,M.,&Gorlick,M.A.(2009). AcuteStressIncreasesSexDifferencesinRiskSeekingintheBalloonAnalogRiskTask.PLoSOne, 4(7).Sela,T.,Kilim,A.,&Lavidor,M.(2012). TranscranialAlternatingCurrentStimulationIncreasesRisk-TakingBehaviorintheBalloonAnalogRiskTask.FrontiersinNeuroscience, 6:22.Strenziok,M.,Pulaski,S.,Krueger,F.,Zamboni,G.,Clawson,D.,&Grafman,J.(2011). RegionalBrainAtrophyandImpairedDecisionMakingontheBalloonAnalogRiskTaskinBehavioralVariantFrontotemporalDementia.CognitiveandBehavioralNeurology, 24(2),59–67.Vaca,F.E.,Walthall,J.M.,Ryan,S.,Moriarty-Daley,A.,Riera,A.,Crowley,M.J.,&Mayes,L.C.(2013). Adolescentballoonanalogrisktaskandbehaviorsthatinfluenceriskofmotorvehiclecrashinjury. AnnualsofAdvancesinAutomotiveMedicine,57:77-88.Weinstock,J.,Whelan,J.P,&Meyers,A.W.(2004). BehavioralAssessmentofGambling:AnApplicationoftheTimelineFollowbackMethod. PsychologicalAssessment, 16(1):72-80.White,T.L.,Lejuez,C.W.,&DeWit,H.(2008). Test-RetestCharacteristicsoftheBalloonAnalogRiskTask(BART). ExperimentalandClinicalPsychopharmacology, 16(6):565-570.Zuckerman,M.,Eysenck,S.B.,&Eysenck,H.J.(1978). SensationseekinginEnglandandAmerica:Cross-cultural,age,andsexcomparisons. JournalofConsultingandClinicalPsychology, 46(1):139–149. 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