Abstract

on the one hand, the personality type, (McCrae, Costa, 1997), on the other, the sensation seeking, namely the tendency to seek new, complex and intense sensations and experiences (Zuckerman, 1994). A lot of studies have investigated the relationship between these psychological characteristics and the actual risky conduct (Donohew et al., 2000; Schmitt, 2004; Cronin, 1991), few, however, have proposed an analysis that also considers the possible interaction with other elements of a cognitive and social nature. The present work therefore aims to deepen the influence relationships between: personality traits, choices in risky conditions and mental attributions. The results achieved reflect the methodological variety. First of all, a different conceptualization of risk was detected between sensation seekers and the other subjects. Furthermore, there are two interesting data concerning ex post mental attributions: the first highlights the moral primacy of cooperation and prudence, the second highlights the use of cognitive defense strategies. A study that, albeit with methodological limitations, sheds light on a scientific landscape so far unexplored. Once again it denies the primacy of the logical-mathematical approach to decision making and highlights the bidirectional link between folk psychology and moral cognition.