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Interdependent utilities: how social ranking affects choice behavior.

ABSTRACT: Organization in hierarchical dominance structures is prevalent in animal societies, so a strong preference for higher positions in social ranking is likely to be an important motivation of human social and economic behavior. This preference is also likely to influence the way in which we evaluate our outcome and the outcome of others, and finally the way we choose. In our experiment participants choose among lotteries with different levels of risk, and can observe the choice that others have made. Results show that the relative weight of gains and losses is the opposite in the private and social domain. For private outcomes, experience and anticipation of losses loom larger than gains, whereas in the social domain, gains loom larger than losses, as indexed by subjective emotional evaluations and physiological responses. We propose a theoretical model (interdependent utilities), predicting the implication of this effect for choice behavior. The relatively larger weight assigned to social gains strongly affects choices, inducing complementary behavior: faced with a weaker competitor, participants adopt a more risky and dominant behavior.

SUBMITTER: Bault N

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2568945 | biostudies-literature | 2008

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Interdependent utilities: how social ranking affects choice behavior.

Bault Nadège N Coricelli Giorgio G Rustichini Aldo A

PloS one 20081022 10

Organization in hierarchical dominance structures is prevalent in animal societies, so a strong preference for higher positions in social ranking is likely to be an important motivation of human social and economic behavior. This preference is also likely to influence the way in which we evaluate our outcome and the outcome of others, and finally the way we choose. In our experiment participants choose among lotteries with different levels of risk, and can observe the choice that others have mad ...[more]

PMID: 18941538

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Project description:ObjectivesCurrent choice models in healthcare (and beyond) can provide suboptimal predictions of healthcare users' decisions. One reason for such inaccuracy is that standard microeconomic theory assumes that decisions of healthcare users are made in a social vacuum. Healthcare choices, however, can in fact be (entirely) socially determined. To achieve more accurate choice predictions within healthcare and therefore better policy decisions, the social influences that affect healthcare user decision-making need to be identified and explicitly integrated into choice models. The purpose of this study is to develop a socially interdependent choice framework of healthcare user decision-making.DesignA mixed-methods approach will be used. A systematic literature review will be conducted that identifies the social influences on healthcare user decision-making. Based on the outcomes of a systematic literature review, an interview guide will be developed that assesses which, and how, social influences affect healthcare user decision-making in four different medical fields. This guide will be used during two exploratory focus groups to assess the engagement of participants and clarity of questions and probes. The refined interview guide will be used to conduct the semistructured interviews with healthcare professionals and users. These interviews will explore in detail which, and how, social influences affect healthcare user decision-making. Focus group and interview transcripts will be analysed iteratively using a constant comparative approach based on a mix of inductive and deductive coding. Based on the outcomes, a social influence independent choice framework for healthcare user decision-making will be drafted. Finally, the Delphi technique will be employed to achieve consensus about the final version of this choice framework.Ethics and disseminationThis study was approved by the Erasmus School of Health Policy and Management Research Ethics Review Committee (ESHPM, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; reference ETH2122-0666).

Project description:Background and purposeAn internet-based discrete choice experiment (DCE) was conducted to elicit preferences for a wide range of Dupuytren's contracture (DC)-related health states. An algorithm was subsequently developed to convert these preferences into health state utilities that can be used to assess DC's impact on quality of life and the value of its treatments.MethodsHealth state preferences for varying levels of DC hand severity were elicited via an internet survey from a sample of the UK adult population. Severity levels were defined using a combination of contractures (0, 45, or 90 degrees) in 8 proximal interphalangeal and metacarpophalangeal joints of the index, middle, ring, and little fingers. Right-handed, left-handed, and ambidextrous respondents indicated which hand was preferable in each of the 10 randomly-selected hand-pairings comparing different DC severity levels. For consistency across comparisons, anatomically precise digital hand drawings were used. To anchor preferences onto the traditional 0-1 utility scale used in health economic evaluations, unaffected hands were assigned a utility of 1.0 whereas the utility for a maximally affected hand (i.e., all 8 joints set at 90 degrees of contracture) was derived by asking respondents to indicate what combination of attributes and levels of the EQ-5D-5L profile most accurately reflects the impact of living with such hand. Conditional logistic models were used to estimate indirect utilities, then rescaled to the anchor points on the EQ-5D-5L.ResultsEstimated utilities based on the responses of 1,745 qualified respondents were 0.49, 0.57, and 0.63 for completely affected dominant hands, non-dominant hands, or ambidextrous hands, respectively. Utility for a dominant hand with 90-degree contracture in t h e metacarpophalangeal joints of the ring and little fingers was estimated to be 0.89. Separately, reducing the contracture of metacarpophalangeal joint for a little finger from 50 to 12 degrees would improve utility by 0.02.InterpretationDC is associated with substantial utility decrements. The algorithms presented herein provide a robust and flexible framework to assess utility for varying degrees of DC severity.

Project description:Three experiments were conducted examining whether an artificially selected "gold" color variant in female "models" affects mate choice copying behavior in sailfin mollies (Poecilia latipinna). Experiment I consisted of a pair of female preference assays, first assessing preference for male body size, followed by a mate choice copying assay that paired a model female with the smaller, non-preferred male from the initial preference test. Female subjects were divided into three groups that used either a wildtype female model, an artificially selected "gold" variant (cultivated within the aquarium fish trade) model, or control wherein no model was presented. Results showed females consistently copied the model's choice, switching preferences from the larger to smaller male when paired with a model regardless of color. In the second experiment wildtype females were presented with a pair of size-matched dummy males both of which paired with model females (one gold and the other wild type). Subjects consistently preferred the male previously paired with the gold- over the male with the wildtype-model, suggesting pre-existing sensory/perceptual biases may have affected their mate choice copying behavior. Previous studies have offered evidence for the spread of novel traits in males via sensory exploitation. However, these results indicate such biases may influence courtship behavior in circumstances where the novel trait is expressed in females as well. For the third experiment, wildtype females were presented with a choice between gold vs wildtype dummy males, the results of which revealing significant preferences for gold. In a follow-up assay pairing a wild type model with the non-preferred wildtype male, females maintained their preference for gold males despite the conflicting social driver of mate choice copying. These data offer evidence for the existence of a perceptual/cognitive bias in the context of mate choice copying, favoring the gold phenotype and/or novelty in general.

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Interdependent utilities: how social ranking affects choice behavior.

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Interdependent utilities: how social ranking affects choice behavior.

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