New Economics Papers
on Neuroeconomics
Issue of 2010‒05‒08
five papers chosen by



  1. Binge Drinking and Risky Sex among College Students By Jeffrey S. DeSimone
  2. Sexual Risk Taking among Young Adults in Cape Town - Effects of Expected Health and Income By Bezabih, Mintewab; Mannberg, Andréa; Visser, Martine
  3. Effects of television advertising on children: with special reference to pakistani urban children By Abideen, Zain Ul; Salaria, Rashid M.
  4. Over-indebtedness and the interplay of factual and mental money management: An interview study By Bernadette Kamleitner; Bianca Hornung; Erich Kirchler
  5. Cheating, Emotions, and Rationality: An Experiment on Tax Evasion By Giorgio Coricelli; Matteus Joffily; Claude Montmarquette; Marie-Claire Villeval

  1. By: Jeffrey S. DeSimone
    Abstract: This study examines the relationship between binge drinking and sexual behavior in nationally representative data on age 18–24 four-year college students. For having sex, overall or without condoms, large and significant positive associations are eliminated upon holding constant proxies for time-invariant sexual activity and drinking preferences. However, strong relationships persist for sex with multiple recent partners, overall and without condoms, even controlling for substance use, risk aversion, mental health, sports participation, and sexual activity frequency. Promiscuity is unrelated with non-binge drinking but even more strongly related with binge drinking on multiple occasions. Results from a rudimentary instrumental variables strategy and accounting for whether sex is immediately preceded by alcohol use suggest that binge drinking directly leads to risky sex. Some binge drinking-induced promiscuity seems to occur among students, especially males, involved in long-term relationships. Effects are concentrated among non-Hispanic whites and are not apparent for students in two-year schools.
    JEL: I1
    Date: 2010–04
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:15953&r=neu
  2. By: Bezabih, Mintewab (University of Portsmouth); Mannberg, Andréa (Department of Economics, Umeå University); Visser, Martine (University of Cape Town)
    Abstract: This paper empirically assesses links between expectations of future health and income on sexual risk taking on a sample of young adults in Cape Town, South Africa. An important contribution of the paper lies in combining a wide range of variables measuring risky sexual behavior such that the maximum information possible is extracted from, and adequate weights are attached to each measure, as opposed to previous studies that are based on individual measures or arbitrary aggregations. The findings indicate that expected income and health and future uncertainty are significant determinants of current patterns of sexual risk taking. From a policy perspective, the results suggest that reducing poverty and improving social insurance as well as reducing the taboo related to talking about HIV may constitute important issues to be addressed.
    Keywords: HIV/AIDS; Health risk; Risk aversion
    JEL: D81 D84 D91 I10
    Date: 2010–04–30
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:umnees:0804&r=neu
  3. By: Abideen, Zain Ul; Salaria, Rashid M.
    Abstract: The purpose of study is to deliberate upon the impacts of television advertising on children & to identify those critical impacts which lead to behavioral and eating disorder in children. Impacts of TV advertising were identified as unnecessary purchasing, low nutritional food and materialism. A questionnaire using five point likert scale was administered to 425 parents of children aged between 9-14 years, and studying in schools. Samples were drawn through convenience sampling approach from four cities of Pakistan namely Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Bahawalpur & Multan. Data were analyzed by using SPSS software. Pearson correlation was used to measure the relationships of the variables on one-to-one basis indicating the most correlated variable was Unnecessary Purchasing which had Pearson correlation value of 0.312 and significance value of 0.000. It was followed by a Materialism which had Pearson correlation value of 0.260 and significance value of 0.000. Then comes Low Nutritional Food being Pearson correlation value of 0.258 and significance value of 0.000. Testing of hypothesis found that television advertising increases the consumption of food that is unhealthy, having low nutritional values and high in Sugar, Fat and Salt (SFS) in children with F=30.146 & P=0.000. Subsequently, it was found that Television advertising leads to increase in unnecessary purchasing in children with F= 45.747 & P=0.000 and materialism in children with F=30.545 & P=0.000. So, it is summed up that TV advertising is affecting children by increasing their food consumption pattern, preference for low-nutrient, high in sugar, fat & salt (SFS) foods and beverages, change in attitude that is aggressive and violent in nature and inclination towards unnecessary purchasing.
    Keywords: TV Advertising; Low Nutritional Food; Violence; Unnecessary Purchasing; Materialism
    JEL: M31
    Date: 2009–12–04
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:22321&r=neu
  4. By: Bernadette Kamleitner; Bianca Hornung; Erich Kirchler
    Abstract: Previous research has shown that money management contributes to over-indebtedness. This article sheds new light on this relation by looking at factual money management and its mental underpinnings, mental accounting. In a conceptual model we propose that fuzzy factual and mental money management practices aggravated by lack of congruency between factual and mental structures play an important role in over-indebtedness. Twenty-five in-depth interviews deliver preliminary support for this proposition. Successful financial control seems to build on efficient and inter-coordinated factual and mental money management. This reduces the willpower necessary for controlling financial behavior and helps to prevent and fight over-indebtedness.
    Keywords: debt, money management, mental accounting, self-control
    JEL: D14 D1
    Date: 2010–04
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cgs:wpaper:34&r=neu
  5. By: Giorgio Coricelli (ISC - Institut des Sciences Cognitives - CNRS : UMR5015 - Université Claude Bernard - Lyon I); Matteus Joffily (ISC - Institut des Sciences Cognitives - CNRS : UMR5015 - Université Claude Bernard - Lyon I); Claude Montmarquette (CIRANO - Centre interuniversitaire de recherche en analyse des organisations - Université du Québec à Montréal); Marie-Claire Villeval (GATE Lyon Saint-Etienne - Groupe d'analyse et de théorie économique - CNRS : UMR5824 - Université Lumière - Lyon II - Ecole Normale Supérieure Lettres et Sciences Humaines)
    Abstract: The economics-of-crime approach usually ignores the emotional cost and benefit of cheating. In this paper, we investigate the relationships between emotions, deception, and rational decision-making by means of an experiment on tax evasion. Emotions are measured by skin conductance responses and self-reports. We show that the intensity of anticipated and anticipatory emotions before reporting positively correlates with both the decision to cheat and the proportion of evaded income. The experienced emotional arousal after an audit increases with the monetary sanctions and the arousal is even stronger when the evader's picture is publicly displayed. We also find that the risk of a public exposure of deception deters evasion whereas the amount of fines encourages evasion. These results suggest that an audit policy that strengthens the emotional dimension of cheating favors compliance.
    Keywords: deception ; tax evasion ; emotions ; physiological measures ; experiment
    Date: 2010
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-00462067_v1&r=neu

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