Abstract:

In the paper we focused on the executive skills and risk behavior of adolescents. We considered the connection between the quality of the executive skills and the risk behavior of adolescents. We assumed that level of executive skills influenced the risk behavior of adolescents. In our research we obtain the data from 1011 students 5. to 9. Primary School grades. We used two methods: Risk behavior questionnaire and Executive Skills Questionnaire. The Risk Behavior Questionnaire (RBQ) originated in 2015 by Čerešník. In this research, a modified 38 - element version was used. The Executive Skills Questionnaire (ESQ) is a method developed in 2010 by Dawson and Guare. It consists of 35 elements rated by respondents on a seven - point scale, where 1 means totally disagree, 2 disagree, 3 disagree somewhat, 4 do not know, 5 agree somewhat, 6 agree and 7 totally agree. The participants chose from three to eight possibilities to answer – always in relation to the element content. The questionnaire is internally structured in 6 subscales. We formulated 3 statistical hypotheses: about the relation between age and the executive functions, age and risk behavior and correlation between executive skills and risk behavior of adolescents. In our research, we found that risk behavior has an increasing tendency as age increases, as executive skill quality drops.

The obtained data were analyzed in the SPSS 20.0 software. We used the Multivariate tests, Anova, Post hoc tests - method least significant difference (LSD) Correlations, General Linear Model: Tests of Between-Subjects Effects. The standard level of significance (α ≤ 0.05) was used. Correlational analysis showed a moderately strong relationship between risk behavior and executive skills. As executive skill quality lowers, risk behavior increases. Based on our findings we consider it important to focus attention on the development of executive functions as part of a complex development scheme in a young person´s personality and not only in adolescence.

Keywords:

Executive functions, Risk behavior, Adolescents.