No abstract

This study investigated changes in risk-taking propensity on a behavioral decision-making task as a function of varying social conditions with peers. In contrast to the effects of direct peer influence (pro-risk and anti-risk messages by peers), we included a socially ambiguous context (neutral messages by peers) and a no-peer control (participants alone) as comparison conditions. Using a counterbalanced mixed factorial design, college students (N = 187) completed the Balloon Analogue Risk Task-Youth (BART-Y) twice during two consecutive sessions, including once alone and once with a confederate; the control group completed two sessions of the task alone. The findings showed that, in general, direct pro-risk messages led to the most robust and consistent changes in risk-taking. The findings are discussed in terms of the multidimensional and multidirectional nature of peer influence during the college years.

Well-adjusted youth have a repertoire of socioemotional skills that help them effectively navigate their social worlds. These skills, or competencies, can also prevent involvement in problem behaviors such as substance use, violence, delinquency, dropping out of school, and highrisk sexual behavior. There have been a number of efforts to identify a set of "core competencies" or primary markers of healthy adolescent socioemotional development. Delineating a common set of indicators has clear benefits for developing coordinated programs to promote positive youth development and prevent engagement in problem behaviors. Guerra and Bradshaw (2008) proposed a core competency framework relevant to both healthy adjustment and prevention. This framework highlights the importance of five core competencies: (1) positive sense of self, (2) selfcontrol, (3) decision-making skills, (4) a moral system of belief, and (5) prosocial connectedness (Guerra and Bradshaw 2008).

Background: Research on the core features of emerging adulthood has disproportionately focused on students from four-year universities. Methods: Using data from the EAMMi2 project (Grahe et al., 2018), we assess whether the core features of emerging adulthood (as the age of possibilities, instability, identity explorations, and feeling in-between) vary between four-year university and community college students. We also explore how emerging adults compare on the need to belong and subjective well-being. Results: Four-year university students (N = 1,221) identified more strongly with the negativity/instability and feeling in-between dimensions of emerging adulthood than community college students (N = 300). Community college students, however, were higher on identity exploration, with no differences between the groups in identification with the experimentation/possibilities feature of emerging adulthood. Four-year students reported higher well-being and higher belonging needs compared to their counterparts at community colleges. Regardless of school type, experimentation/possibilities and feeling in-between predicted higher well-being whereas negativity/instability predicted lower well-being and higher belonging needs. Conclusion: These findings highlight nuance in the experiences of emerging adulthood, as evidenced by both some shared experiences and group-level differences.

Background: Research on the dimensions of emerging adulthood has disproportionately focused on students from four-year universities. Methods: Using data from the EAMMi2 project (Grahe et al., 2018), we assess whether the dimensions of emerging adulthood (as the age of possibilities, instability, identity explorations, and feeling in-between) vary between four-year university and community college students. We also explore how emerging adults compare on the need to belong and subjective well-being. Results: Four-year university students (N = 1,221) identified more strongly with the negativity/instability and feeling in-between dimensions of emerging adulthood than community college students (N = 300). Community college students, however, were higher on identity exploration, with no differences between the groups in identification with the experimentation/possibilities dimension of emerging adulthood. Four-year students reported higher well-being and higher belonging needs compared to their counterparts at community colleges. Regardless of school type, experimentation/possibilities and feeling in-between predicted higher well-being whereas negativity/instability predicted lower well-being and higher belonging needs. Conclusion: These findings highlight nuance in the experiences of emerging adulthood, as evidenced by both some shared experiences and group-level differences.