Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

In this study, a technique was developed for classifying the manner in which testees came to choose their responses to multiple choice items on a test of Science 20. One hundred thirty-one students enrolled in Science 20 at Alpha Junior Secondary School in School District # 41 (Burnaby) took part in the investigation. The sample comprised five sections taught by two teachers. The aim of the study was to determine if a distinguishable response choice strategy existed for the test under study. The pupils were asked to classify their response choice behaviour into 4 categories: guessing, elimination and guessing, recall, and reasoning. The responses were separated into groups of successful and unsuccessful testees on each of the 60 items of the test. The question was asked: Do successful testees show different response choice behaviour from unsuccessful ones? The hypothesis was tested for each of the 60 items. On 33 of these items, the response choice behaviour of successful testees differed from unsuccessful ones at or above the 95% confidence level. The strategy of response choice appeared to be to try to recall the answer first, and if this was not possible, to rely on reasoning, elimination and guessing, and guessing in that order. Three factors; achievement, difficulty level, and discriminating power; which might influence response choice behaviour were investigated. The results were inconclusive. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

This essay attempts a preliminary explanation of the behavioral content in financial investment, and stops short of measuring it. In the past insufficient attention has been given to the analysis of risk-taking behavior in terms of expected utility and to the relationship between that behavior in financial investment and some of the variables in social structure such as occupation and wealth. These issues are presented in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 presents and discusses the scope and method of the essay, some contemporary research trends in economics, sociology, and anthropology, the analytic focus of economic sociology and anthropology relevant to the essay, markets and exchange, and the state of interdisciplinary research in this connection. Two chapters are devoted to decision-making theory; in Chapter 3, the theories of riskless and risky choices, the Bernoulli hypothesis, and game theory; in Chapter 4, unmeasurable uncertainty, a psychological criticism of the theory of risky choices and a review of risk-taking behavior as a function of the situation, the individual, and the group. Chapter 5 presents a standard economic analysis of the investment function and the liquidity preference theory, and adds a review of two early studies (Marx, Weber) on financial investment. In Chapter 6 the problem is restated in relation to the above considerations. Macrostructures are defined and the substructures differentiated. The unit of analysis is a micro-structure of financial investors drawn from one of Vancouver's brokerage firms, and the tool of analysis is a survey. In Chapter 7 the empirical data are presented and discussed in terms of the theoretical considerations. Since our data are crude, we have limited ourselves to conjectures which can be given a preliminary test. Specifically, we set forth (a) that occupation and wealth greatly affect risk-taking behavior; (b) that the higher the income and stock of wealth as indicated by portfolio composition the greater the risk aversion, and that the investment utility is a source of amusement or serves as a hedge against inflation; (c) that the smaller the income and stock of wealth as indicated by portfolio composition the higher the risk-taking behavior because of its greater utility, and that the investment utility contributes to make ends meet or provide work satisfaction. In the remaining section of the essay (Chapter 8) we appraise our research design and suggest future lines of research. / Arts, Faculty of / Sociology, Department of / Graduate

published_or_final_version / Asian Studies / Master / Master of Arts

Research has suggested that memories for difficult or painful experiences seem related to a combination of the worst and most recent moments. This peak-end theory was tested in relation to an exercise task (eccentric quadriceps using a BIODEX machine) as well as a cognitive task (standardized quantitative test questions). For each type of task there were two trials: short and happy endings. The happy endings trial included the same task as the short trial with an additional 25% duration at a lesser intensity (80% of short task intensity). A 2 (task type) by 2 (trial type) repeated measures design was used. Participants made global ratings of difficulty immediately after each component, thus generating four ratings, and later indicated their preferences for hypothetical future trials. Results indicated support for the theory that the shorter trials are evaluated as more difficult, with the cognitive task being evaluated as more difficult overall than the exercise task. Preference scores, however, revealed a preference only for the happy endings cognitive task, with no preference indicated on the exercise task. Results confirm previous research in suggesting differences between judgements of tasks and future choices. However, confounds complicated interpretations, especially for the cognitive task. The most conservative interpretation of data suggests that in circumstances where "more is better," happy endings will result in more work with no higher level of discomfort. Implications for future research and applications of the theory are discussed.

As the application for choice architecture grow, our goal is to better understand both the short and long term effects of our interventions. Many of the world’s most pressing and complicated problems require many actions, instead of a single action. Choice architecture has been shown to be effective on one-and-done problems, but what about the more complicated problems? Can the tool we choose to influence behavior have a positive or negative effect on the likelihood of taking up a second or possibly third behavior? In Chapter 1, we explore the mechanism of risky choice framing, isolating the effect of attraction and repulsion on the number of, and the valence of, thoughts supporting either the risky or riskless outcomes. In Chapter 2, we show behavioral spillover in a lab settings, showing the effects of default setting on not only the initial behavior, but also subsequent behaviors. In Chapter 3, we take choice architecture and explore the effects of different messaging on both short and long term behavioral change.

Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2002. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 30 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 30).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves : 85-91).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 132-134).