| Abstract: | This study focused on the relationship of an individual's risk-taking behavior and his/her performance on the mathematics section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT-M). Previous research in this area has found that on multiple choice tests, calculated guessing (risk-taking) plays a role in the score one obtains. Risk-taking behavior was defined by the number of items omitted by the student on the instrument designed for the purpose of assessing this behavior. The data were obtained from 89 students who were attending two colleges in upstate New York. The data consisted of SAT-M scores and performance scores on a mathematics test designed to assess risk-taking. A t-test performed on the number of omissions revealed that females omit more items and thus manifest less risk-taking behavior. A significant difference in favor of females omitting more items was found at the p < .01 level. A multiple regression design was employed, and gender and risk-taking behavior were found to be significantly related at the p<.01 level to a student's performance on the SAT-M. |
