The ability of adolescents to predict future outcome. Part I: Assessing predictive abilities

Because adolescents are generally viewed as "risk-takers," an assessment of planning and decision-making skills during the teenage years may reveal why this developmental group tends to engage in dangerous behaviors. One area in which these abilities have significant consequences for future outcome is pregnancy, a condition that requires a decision to either give birth or abort. Previewing, a process by which caregivers introduce infants to the physical sensations of imminent developmental change and the implications of such change on their relationship, may affect the adolescent's ability to predict upcoming change. This paper explores previewing skills during the adolescent years and how this capacity affects the teenager's orientation toward future outcomes.