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on Neuroeconomics |
| By: | Dominique Desbois (UMR PSAE - Paris-Saclay Applied Economics - AgroParisTech - Université Paris-Saclay - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement) |
| Abstract: | Daniel Kahneman, a researcher in cognitive psychology and professor at Princeton University, has highlighted cognitive biases in human behaviour, in particular aversion to the risk of loss, renewing our understanding of the psychological foundations of economics. |
| Keywords: | Behavioral Economics, Cogintive Psychology, United=States, Israel |
| Date: | 2024–06–21 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04620674 |
| By: | Abdellaoui, Mohammed (HEC Paris); Bleichrodt, Han (Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) - Erasmus School of Economics (ESE); Australian National University (ANU) - School of Economics); Gutierrez, Cédric (Bocconi University - Department of Management and Technology) |
| Abstract: | Overconfident behavior, the excessive willingness to bet on one’s performance, may be driven by optimistic beliefs and/or ambiguity attitudes. Separating these factors is key for understanding and correcting overconfident behavior, as they may call for different corrective actions. We present a method to do so, which we implement in two incentivized experiments. The first experiment shows the importance of ambiguity attitudes for overconfident behavior. Optimistic ambiguity attitudes (ambiguity seeking) counterbalanced the effect of pessimistic beliefs, leading to neither over- nor underconfident behavior. The second experiment applies our method in contexts where overconfident behavior is expected to vary: easy vs. hard tasks. Our results showed that task difficulty affected both beliefs and ambiguity attitudes. However, while beliefs were more optimistic for relative performance (rank) and more pessimistic for absolute performance (score) on easy tasks compared to hard tasks, ambiguity attitudes were always more optimistic on easy tasks for both absolute and relative performance. Our findings show the subtle interplay between beliefs and ambiguity attitudes: they can reinforce or offset each other, depending on the context, increasing or lowering overconfident behavior. |
| Keywords: | overconfidence; subjective expected utility; beliefs measurement; ambiguity attitudes; hard-easy effect. |
| JEL: | D81 D83 D91 |
| Date: | 2023–05–23 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ebg:heccah:1484 |
| By: | Leo Röhlke |
| Abstract: | This study empirically tests the displacement hypothesis, examining whether adolescents' mobile phone use displaces time spent on activities that benefit cognitive development and academic performance. Longitudinal time-use data from a sample of Australian early adolescents (ages 10-13) and a difference-in-differences design are used to model the effect of first mobile phone acquisition on allocation of time to various activities. The results challenge the displacement hypothesis, providing no evidence that mobile phone acquisition displaces enrichment, physical activity or sleep time in early adolescence. However, acquiring a mobile phone is associated with a significant reduction in time spent watching TV, movies, or videos. This suggests the rise in adolescent mobile phone use may partly represent shifting away from traditional screen activities rather than displacing cognitively beneficial activities. Guidelines for parents recommending later ages of mobile phone acquisition are unlikely to affect early adolescents' time spent on non-screen activities. |
| Keywords: | academic performance, early adolescents, difference-in-differences, displacement hypothesis, educational outcomes, enrichment activities, longitudinal data, mobile phones, parental mediation, time use |
| JEL: | J13 O33 |
| Date: | 2024–08–15 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bss:wpaper:49 |
| By: | Lindsey Lacey; Nirajana Mishra; Priya Mukherjee; Nikhilesh Prakash; Nishith Prakash; Diane Quinn; Shwetlena Sabarwal; Deepak Saraswat |
| Abstract: | We conducted a randomized control trial to study the impact of two information messages aimed at reducing the stigma associated with mental illness on the willingness to seek mental healthcare among adults in Nepal. The first intervention shares information about the prevalence of mental health issues and the efficacy of treatment. The second intervention shares information about the mental health struggles of a Nepali celebrity and how he benefited from treatment. We find three results. First, compared to a no-information control group, both interventions increase participants’ stated willingness to seek mental health treatment. This effect is driven by participants with high personal and anticipated stigma, less severe symptoms of depression and anxiety, and who hold strong beliefs about conformity to masculinity. Second, the impact on participants’ stated willingness to seek mental health treatment mirrors their willingness to pay for counseling. Third, participants are, on average, more likely to report willingness to seek help when the enumerator is female. |
| Keywords: | mental health, stigma, prejudice, seeking help, celebrity, Nepal |
| JEL: | I12 I15 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11241 |
| By: | Briana Ballis (University of California, Merced) |
| Abstract: | Racial disparities in infant health conditions have persisted for decades. However, there is surprisingly limited evidence regarding the long-term consequences of these disparities. Using novel linked administrative data from Texas and the shift to Medicaid Managed Care (MMC), I show that MMC-driven declines in infant health worsened cognitive and noncognitive outcomes for Black children, while MMC-driven enhancements in infant health improved noncognitive outcomes and educational attainment for Hispanics. Effects concentrate in low-value added districts for either demographic, suggesting that the long run impacts of changes to early life health conditions are more pronounced in less effective schools for one’s demographic. |
| Keywords: | racial disparities, infant health, Medicaid, Medicaid Managed Care, MMC, early life health |
| JEL: | I14 I21 I24 I32 I38 J13 J15 J24 |
| Date: | 2024–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hka:wpaper:2024-016 |