Email
jrolison@essex.ac.ukLocation
2.718, Colchester Campus
Research interests
Decision making and risk taking behaviour
The broad area of my research is decision making, particularly decisions involving risk. I have a number of lines of research in this domain, including how people conceptualise risk (e.g., do all people think of risk in the same way?), how people trade-off the risks and benefits of activities, and whether people use other strategies or sources of information to make their decisions. My research also has an emphasis on how decisions differ between people, namely why some people are more likely than others to take a risk.
Risk communication
My research explores perception and communication of health risks and health-related decision making. One of my aims in this area is to develop methods for overcoming barriers to effective risk communication. For example, my work has shown that maths anxiety impedes understanding of numerical health risks, but that some of the negative effects of maths anxiety can be alleviated with graphical presentation aids.
Road safety
My research on risk has an applied focus on the risks faced by young and elderly drivers. My research has investigated whether drivers of these ages are a danger to themselves and to other road users. I have introduced new statistical tools for the assessment of driver crash risk and have identified contributing factors to road accidents. I have worked closely on these projects with the UK Department for Transport.
Adult development and ageing
One line of my research is how decision making and risk taking behaviours change across adulthood. My research in this area is aimed at explaining why people become more cautious in older age and whether age changes in risk taking behaviours are beneficial or harmful.
Current teaching responsibilities
Applied Psychology (PS118)
Psychology Project (PS300)
Developmental Psychology (PS406)
Psychology of Health (PS423)
Lifespan Development: Psychology in Society (PS503)
Decision making science in theory and practice (PS512)
MSc Psychology Research Project (PS900)
Advanced Developmental Psychology (PS931)
Research Project (MSc) (PS934)
Advanced Psychology of Health (PS951)
Current supervision
Previous supervision
Degree subject: Psychology
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 16/7/2024
Journal articles (56)
Lamarche, VM. and Rolison, J., (2025). Can I Tolerate That Kind of Behavior? Self-Esteem, Expected Benefits, Risk Perceptions and Risk Tolerance in Romantic Relationships. British Journal of Social Psychology, The. 64 (2), e12860-
Rolison, J., (2024). Diversity in the study of aging and lifespan development. Current Opinion in Psychology. 57, 101802-101802
Rolison, J., Gooding, P., Russo, R. and Buchanan, K., (2024). Who should decide how limited healthcare resources are prioritized? Autonomous technology as a compelling alternative to humans. PLoS One. 19 (2), e0292944-e0292944
Rolison, JJ. and Freund, AM., (2024). What is the psychology of aging?. Current Opinion in Psychology. 58, 101824-101824
Jolles, D., Lamarche, VM., Rolison, JJ. and Juanchich, M., (2023). Who will I be when I retire? The role of organizational commitment, group memberships and retirement transition framing on older worker’s anticipated identity change in retirement. Current Psychology. 42 (18), 15727-15741
Rolison, J., (2023). The psychological drivers of self-reported risk preference. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition. 49 (10), 1635-1661
Buchanan, KE., Rolison, JJ., Jinga, I., Thompson, J. and Russo, R., (2022). Who tugs at our heart strings? The effect of avatar images on player generosity in the dictator game.. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. 75 (3), 377-389
McMichael, AJ., Kane, JPM., Rolison, JJ., O'Neill, FA., Boeri, M. and Kee, F., (2022). Implementation of personalised medicine policies in mental healthcare: results from a stated preference study in the UK. BJPsych Open. 8 (2), e40-
Rolison, JJ., Pachur, T., McCormack, T. and Feeney, A., (2022). Developmental differences in description-based versus experience-based decision making under risk in children. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 219, 105401-105401
Rolison, J. and Lamarche, V., (2022). Do older adults construct more emotionally gratifying social environments than younger adults? Evidence from a social network decision task. Current Psychology. 42 (33), 29418-29434
Lamarche, VM. and Rolison, JJ., (2021). Hand-in-hand in the golden years: Cognitive interdependence, partner involvement in retirement planning, and the transition into retirement. PLoS One. 16 (12), e0261251-e0261251
Rolison, J. and Shenton, J., (2020). How much risk can you stomach? Individual differences in the tolerance of perceived risk across gender and risk domain. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making. 33 (1), 63-85
Rolison, J., (2020). Identifying the causes of road traffic collisions: Using police officers’ expertise to improve the reporting of contributory factors data. Accident Analysis and Prevention. 135, 105390-105390
Rolison, J., Morsanyi, K. and Peters, E., (2020). Understanding health risk comprehension: The role of math anxiety, subjective numeracy, and objective numeracy. Medical Decision Making. 40 (2), 222-234
Rolison, J. and Moutari, S., (2020). Combinations of Factors Contribute to Young Driver Crashes. Journal of Safety Research. 73, 171-177
Hanoch, Y., Rolison, J. and Freund, AM., (2019). Reaping the Benefits and Avoiding the Risks: Unrealistic Optimism in the Health Domain. Risk Analysis. 39 (4), 792-804
Rolison, JJ., Hanoch, Y. and Freund, AM., (2019). Perception of Risk for Older Adults: Differences in Evaluations for Self versus Others and across Risk Domains. Gerontology. 65 (5), 547-559
Rolison, J., (2019). What could go wrong? No evidence of an age-related positivity effect when evaluating outcomes of risky activities. Developmental Psychology. 55 (8), 1788-1799
Hanoch, Y., Rolison, JJ. and Freund, AM., (2018). Does Medical Risk Perception and Risk Taking Change with Age?. Risk Analysis. 38 (5), 917-928
Miron-Shatz, T., Rapaport, SR., Srebnik, N., Hanoch, Y., Rabinowitz, J., Doniger, GM., Levi, L., Rolison, JJ. and Tsafrir, A., (2018). Invasive Prenatal Diagnostic Testing Recommendations are Influenced by Maternal Age, Statistical Misconception and Perceived Liability. Journal of Genetic Counseling. 27 (1), 59-68
Rolison, JJ. and Moutari, S., (2018). Risk-Exposure Density and Mileage Bias in Crash Risk for Older Drivers. American Journal of Epidemiology. 187 (1), 53-59
Rolison, JJ., Regev, S., Moutari, S. and Feeney, A., (2018). What are the factors that contribute to road accidents? An assessment of law enforcement views, ordinary drivers’ opinions, and road accident records. Accident Analysis and Prevention. 115, 11-24
Regev, S., Rolison, JJ. and Moutari, S., (2018). Crash risk by driver age, gender, and time of day using a new exposure methodology. Journal of Safety Research. 66, 131-140
Mercier, H., Rolison, JJ., Stragà, M., Ferrante, D., Walsh, CR. and Girotto, V., (2017). Questioning the preparatory function of counterfactual thinking. Memory and Cognition. 45 (2), 261-269
Rolison, JJ., Wood, S. and Hanoch, Y., (2017). Age and Adaptation: Stronger Decision Updating about Real World Risks in Older Age. Risk Analysis. 37 (9), 1632-1643
McMichael, AJ., Boeri, M., Rolison, JJ., Kane, J., O’Neill, FA., Scarpa, R. and Kee, F., (2017). The Influence of Genotype Information on Psychiatrists’ Treatment Recommendations: More Experienced Clinicians Know Better What to Ignore. Value in Health. 20 (1), 126-131
Rolison, JJ. and Pachur, T., (2017). How Well Do We Know Our Inner Daredevil? Probing the Relationship Between Self-Report and Behavioral Measures of Risk Taking. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making. 30 (2), 647-657
Rolison, JJ., Hanoch, Y. and Wood, S., (2017). Saving for the future: Dynamic effects of time horizon. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics. 70, 47-54
Rolison, JJ., Morsanyi, K. and O’Connor, PA., (2016). Can I Count on Getting Better? Association between Math Anxiety and Poorer Understanding of Medical Risk Reductions. Medical Decision Making. 36 (7), 876-886
Travers, E., Rolison, JJ. and Feeney, A., (2016). The time course of conflict on the Cognitive Reflection Test. Cognition. 150, 109-118
McMichael, A., Rolison, JJ., Boeri, M., Francis, J., O?Neill, F. and Kee, F., (2016). How do psychiatrists apply the minimum clinically important difference to assess patient responses to treatment?. MDM Policy and Practice. 1 (1), 2381468316678855-
Hanoch, Y., Miron‐Shatz, T., Rolison, JJ., Omer, Z. and Ozanne, E., (2015). Shared decision making in patients at risk of cancer: the role of domain and numeracy. Health Expectations. 18 (6), 2799-2810
Rolison, JJ. and Hanoch, Y., (2015). Knowledge and risk perceptions of the Ebola virus in the United States. Preventive Medicine Reports. 2, 262-264
Gummerum, M., Hanoch, Y. and Rolison, JJ., (2014). Offenders’ Risk‐Taking Attitude Inside and Outside the Prison Walls. Risk Analysis. 34 (10), 1870-1881
Rolison, JJ., Hanoch, Y., Wood, S. and Liu, P-J., (2014). Risk-Taking Differences Across the Adult Life Span: A Question of Age and Domain. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B. 69 (6), 870-880
Hanoch, Y., Miron-Shatz, T., Rolison, JJ. and Ozanne, E., (2014). Understanding ofBRCA1/2genetic tests results: the importance of objective and subjective numeracy. Psycho-Oncology. 23 (10), 1142-1148
Srebnik, N., Miron-Shatz, T., Rolison, JJ., Hanoch, Y. and Tsafrir, A., (2014). Physician Recommendation for Invasive Prenatal Testing. Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey. 69 (3), 131-132
Rolison, JJ., Moutari, S., Hewson, PJ. and Hellier, E., (2014). Overestimated Crash Risks of Young and Elderly Drivers. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 46 (1), 58-64
Rolison, JJ., Hanoch, Y. and Gummerum, M., (2013). When Opportunity Matters: Comparing the Risk‐Taking Attitudes of Prisoners and Recently Released Ex‐Prisoners. Risk Analysis. 33 (11), 2013-2022
Srebnik, N., Miron-Shatz, T., Rolison, JJ., Hanoch, Y. and Tsafrir, A., (2013). Physician recommendation for invasive prenatal testing: the case of the 'precious baby'. Human Reproduction. 28 (11), 3007-3011
Rolison, JJ., Hewson, PJ. and Hellier, E., (2013). Rolison et al. Respond. American Journal of Public Health. 103 (7), e2-e2
Rolison, JJ., Wood, S., Hanoch, Y. and Liu, P-J., (2013). Subjective Numeracy Scale as a Tool for Assessing Statistical Numeracy in Older Adult Populations. Gerontology. 59 (3), 283-288
Rolison, JJ., Hewson, PJ., Hellier, E. and Hurst, L., (2013). Risks of High-Powered Motorcycles Among Younger Adults. American Journal of Public Health. 103 (3), 568-571
Marcatto, F., Rolison, JJ. and Ferrante, D., (2013). Communicating clinical trial outcomes: Effects of presentation method on physicians' evaluations of new treatments. Judgment and Decision Making. 8 (1), 29-33
Rolison, JJ., Hanoch, Y. and Gummerum, M., (2013). Characteristics of offenders: the HEXACO model of personality as a framework for studying offenders’ personality. The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology. 24 (1), 71-82
Hanoch, Y., Rolison, J. and Gummerum, M., (2013). Good things come to those who wait: Time discounting differences between adult offenders and nonoffenders. Personality and Individual Differences. 54 (1), 128-132
Rolison, JJ., Hewson, PJ. and Hellier, E., (2013). Rolison et al. respond. American journal of public health. 103 (7), creators-Rolison=3AJonathan_J=3A=3A
Hanoch, Y., Gummerum, M. and Rolison, J., (2012). Second-to-Fourth Digit Ratio and Impulsivity: A Comparison between Offenders and Nonoffenders. PLoS ONE. 7 (10), e47140-e47140
Rolison, JJ., Hanoch, Y. and Miron-Shatz, T., (2012). What do men understand about lifetime risk following genetic testing? The effect of context and numeracy.. Health Psychology. 31 (4), 530-533
Rolison, JJ., Hanoch, Y. and Wood, S., (2012). Risky decision making in younger and older adults: The role of learning.. Psychology and Aging. 27 (1), 129-140
Rolison, JJ., Hewson, PJ., Hellier, E. and Husband, P., (2012). Risk of Fatal Injury in Older Adult Drivers, Passengers, and Pedestrians. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 60 (8), 1504-1508
Rolison, JJ., Evans, JSBT., Dennis, I. and Walsh, CR., (2012). Dual-processes in learning and judgment: Evidence from the multiple cue probability learning paradigm. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. 118 (2), 189-202
Rolison, JJ., Hanoch, Y. and Miron-Shatz, T., (2012). Smokers: At risk for prostate cancer but unlikely to screen. Addictive Behaviors. 37 (6), 736-738
Rolison, JJ. and Edworthy, J., (2012). The Role of Formal Structure in Liking for Popular Music. Music Perception. 29 (3), 269-284
Hanoch, Y., Gummerum, M. and Rolison, JJ., (2012). Second-to-fourth digit ratio and impulsivity: a comparison between offenders and nonoffenders.. PloS One. 7 (10), creators-Rolison=3AJonathan_J=3A=3A
Rolison, JJ., Evans, JSBT., Walsh, CR. and Dennis, I., (2011). The Role of Working Memory Capacity in Multiple-Cue Probability Learning. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. 64 (8), 1494-1514
Conferences (1)
Boeri, M., McMichael, A., Rolison, JJ. and Kee, F., (2020). The needs of many vs the needs of few: Is society willing to pay for stratified medicine?
2020
Provide KTP RA support
Provide
Provide KTP RA support
Provide
Provide KTP RA support
Provide
2018
Provide KTP 2018
Provide
Provide KTP 2018
Innovate UK (formerly Technology Strategy Board)
2016
A New Metric for the Assessment of Driver Crash Risks
Engineering & Physical Sciences Res.Council
The development of a new road accident reporting system
The Secretary of State for Transport
