The adolescent social network: an investigation of social tie variables as predictors of developing economic decision-making and perspective-taking

Pollard, David John Thornhill (2026). The adolescent social network: an investigation of social tie variables as predictors of developing economic decision-making and perspective-taking. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

This thesis asks three questions: Do directed and dyadic social tie variables predict adolescent decision-making in economic games? If so, does the strength of this prediction alter with age? If so, what are the cognitive mechanisms driving this development? We combine social network methods and game theory to investigate these three questions in four studies. In study 1, we use the Trust Game to test whether adolescent trust and expected reciprocity is predicted by directed and dyadic social tie variables (N = 169, Nnetworks = 11, range = 16-19). In study 2, we test whether adolescent cooperation in the Prisoner’s Dilemma is predicted by directed and dyadic social tie variables, and whether this association alters with age (N = 169, Nnetworks = 11, range = 16-19). In study 3, we employ social network methods to investigate whether late adolescents predict the strength of their relationships more accurately than early adolescents (N = 918, nNetworks = 58, age range = 12-18). Finally, in study 4, we use a novel Dictator Game to test whether directed and dyadic social tie variables predict adolescent giving and expected receiving, whether this association alters with age, and whether late adolescents predict the allocations of their peers more accurately than early adolescents (N = 292; Nnetworks = 24; age range = 12 – 18). We found that directed and dyadic social tie variables were robust predictors of economic decision-making in the Trust Game, Prisoner’s Dilemma, and Dictator Games. The strength of this association altered with age in the Prisoner’s Dilemma, and Dictator Game, but in the opposite of the hypothesised direction. Finally, we found that late adolescents more accurately predicted the strength of their social relationships than did early adolescents, but no evidence was obtained for a difference when predicting the allocative decisions of classmates in the Dictator Game. This thesis advocates for the utility of the social network approach as a tool for understanding adolescent decision-making at the level of the most integral unit of social interaction: the dyad.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):