Jiangsu and Zhejiang are of two of China most prosperous and dynamic provinces. This paper first presents a factual account of two empirical phenomena: 1) FDI has played a more substantial role in the economic development of Jiangsu than in Zhejiang, and 2) ownership biases against domestic private firms in Jiangsu were more substantial than in Zhejiang. The paper hypothesizes that there is a connection between these two empirical phenomena. Specifically, ownership biases against domestic private firms increase preferences for FDI because FDI provides a measure of relative property rights security. Thus a biased domestic private firm has an incentive to move its assets and/or future growth opportunities to the foreign sector. The paper uses two private-sector surveys - one conducted in 1993 and the other in 2002 - to provide an empirical test of this hypothesis. Our analysis shows, controlling for a variety of firm-level attributes and industry and regional characteristics, those private firms which perceive ownership biases to be more severe are more likely to form joint ventures with foreign firms.

No description available.

Cognitive theories propose that interpretive biases play an important role in the onset and maintenance of emotional disorders. To investigate the proposed causal role of interpretive biases, this study examined if it is possible to train interpretations of ambiguous situations, and if this training affects emotional vulnerability and memory. The results indicated that the interpretive training was effective in inducing the intended group differences in interpretive bias, but that the positive training was more effective than negative training. These findings also highlight the potential benefits of inducing positive interpretive biases on mood and emotional vulnerability for some individuals (i.e., individuals with high depression or rumination scores). Additionally, results from the current study demonstrate that manipulating interpretive biases can result in corresponding changes in memory. In sum, findings from the current study hold valuable implications for the effects of positively manipulating interpretive biases on mood, emotional vulnerability, and memory. Future research can further elucidate the relationship between interpretive biases and mood, as well as extend current findings to a clinical population.

This thesis is a sociological history of the making of behavioural economics. Behavioural economics is a discipline in which economists draw on psychological knowledge and approaches to understand economic behaviour. The narrative begins with the lives and work of psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky in the newly established state of Israel. It then moves from the making of the so called Heuristics and Biases Programme in the 1970’s to the privately funded Behavioural Economics Program in the USA in the 1980’s. Using a blend of analysis of archival documents, published material, and interviews I seek to understand the formation of the discipline of behavioural economics by applying the notion of a psychology)of)error as an analytical tool. The small number of historians who have studied behavioural economics have all identified a concern with human error as a crucial element of its intellectual makeup. I take this observation further by arguing that both Kahneman and Tversky’s Heuristics and Biases Programme and behavioural economics are psychologies) of) error because the object to be explained in both fields was restricted to behavioural deviations from a normative core. In the case of Heuristics and Biases that normative core consisted of a blend of statistical and logical norms imported from traditional decision theory about what constituted rational decision making. In the case of behavioural economics the normative core was made up of assumptions about rational economic behaviour developed by neo-classical economists. Understanding behavioural economics as a psychology of error allows me to shed light on the complicated relationship between behavioural economics and neo-classical economics. Specifically it helps explain how behavioural economists sought to strike a careful balance between critiquing the descriptive claims of neo-classical economists and reinforcing their normative ambitions.

The purpose of this study was to examine cognitive biases in clinically anxious children compared to normal children and to determine if cognitive biases could discriminate anxious youth from non-anxious youth. Two specific cognitive biases were the focus of the present study—interpretive biases (i.e., the tendency to interpret neutral stimuli in a negative way) and judgment biases (i.e., a lowered estimate of one's ability to cope with a threatening situation). Twenty-four youth comprised the anxiety disordered sample and were each matched to two normal youth on four demographic variables (gender, age, ethnicity, and family income level), thus the matched comparison sample consisted of 48 youth (ages 7 to 17). Interpretive biases were assessed with the Children's Negative Cognitive Error Questionnaire (CNCEQ) and judgment biases were assessed with the Anxiety Control Questionnaire—child form (ACQ-C). In addition, self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression and parent-reported internalizing and externalizing symptoms were measured. Results indicated that (1) children in the clinic sample exhibited significantly more interpretive biases and judgment biases relative to the control sample, and scored significantly higher on measures of anxiety, depression, and parent-reported internalizing and externalizing symptoms relative to the control sample, (2) the ACQ-C demonstrated incremental validity over the CNCEQ in predicting diagnostic status, (3) the ACQ-C predicted diagnostic status while controlling for Generalized Anxiety Disorder symptoms and parent-reported internalizing and externalizing symptoms, but not while controlling for RCMAS (anxiety) and CDI (depression) scores, and (4) the relationship between the CNCEQ and diagnostic status was moderated by age and gender. This study adds to the research literature by demonstrating elevated CNCEQ scores among youth with anxiety disorders compared to non-anxious youth and extends findings with the ACQ-C by showing its incremental validity beyond the CNCEQ. The results also add to the understanding of the assessment of negative cognitive vi errors by highlighting developmental and sex differences in their association with anxiety disorder status in youth. Implications of the positive findings for theory and practice are noted and theoretical and methodological reasons for the negative results are discussed to highlight suggestions for future work in this area.

No description available.

In the general population, psychosis-like experiences have been extensively studied under the psychometric rubric of schizotypy (psychosis-proneness). As such, Phase 1 of this thesis aimed to assess the distribution of schizotypal traits and associated personality correlates displayed within a quota sample of the general population stratified by Gender and Ageband, the emphasis being upon anomalous experiences (positive schizotypy). Respondents (N = 130) completed a battery of established self-report measures assessing thirteen areas of personal experience. Correlational analysis revealed that eleven of the measures of ostensibly anomalous experiences possessed significant intercorrelations. Subsequent principal components analysis identified three factors accounting for 64.91% of the total variance; the factor accounting for the greatest proportion of variance (42.97%) was interpreted as representing a psychological disposition towards reporting ‘Anomalous Cognitions’. The other two factors are named ‘Lifeview System’ (12.60% of total variance) and ‘Social Adaptation Skills’ (9.34% of total variance). From the principal factor inclusion criteria for Phase 2 of the research are explicated. No significant mean Gender differences were revealed for the six self-report measures that provided unique contributions toward anomalous cognitions, the two self-report measures that uniquely contributed toward a lifeview system, or for the single self-report measure that uniquely contributed toward social adaptation skills. Additionally, four of the nine self-report measures which provided unique factorial contributions generated significant mean differences between Agebands, with a further three providing trends toward significant mean differences. Implications for the role of anomalous cognitions, a framework for a lifeview system, and social adaptation skills with regard to psychosis-proneness are discussed. From the primary factor (anomalous cognitions), three experimental groups were identified for cognitive testing: respondents scoring 1) ≤ 20th percentile; 2) 10% ± the mean; and 3) ≥ 80th percentile. This procedure provided a total of 78 participants (three x 26) for Phase 2 testing. Phase 2 of this thesis sought to identify some of the cognitive mechanisms underpinning subclinical anomalous cognitions with a view to deciphering which measures best predicted experimental group membership. A comprehensive literature review highlighted six domains of cognition, five accompanying self-report measures, and two measures of intelligence functioning (verbal and fluid/visuoconstructive), which, following previous research, were utilised as covariate measures. Based on prescribed delineation points, participants were allocated, according to scores on the primary factor from Phase 1, to one of three experimental groups (low-, mid, and high-anomalous cognitions). Of the six cognitive domains—1) sustained visual attention; 2) false (illusory) memory; 3) probability reasoning (decision making); 4) object recognition; 5) reality monitoring; and 6) self-monitoring—four succeeded in eliciting significant mean differences between experimental groups with the noted exceptions of sustained visual attention and self-monitoring. Subsequent canonical discriminant analyses identified that the best predictors of XPG membership were the number of critical lures recognised on the false memory test, the number of correct responses and confidence when uncertain on the object recognition test, plus two self-report measures pertaining to comorbid psychopathology and the vividness of visual imagery. In light of previous research, the inclusion of fasle (illusory) memory biases, the comorbidity of mental pathology (especially, depressive and anxiety-related symptoms), and the vividness of visual imagery are unsurprising; however, the two object recognition variables (the ‘number of correct responses’ and ‘confidence when uncertain’) offer exciting avenues for future research into the continuum of psychosis. Moreover, the ‘confidence when uncertain’ data from the object recognition test (perceptual) and the probability reasoning (decision making) data from the Beads test suggest that cognitive underconfidence may well be an enduring personality disposition in those reporting elevated levels of anomalous cognitions, including positive and disorganised schizotypal personality traits. The results of Phase 2 add confirmatory evidence to previous research suggestive of memory and perceptual biases plus comorbid psychopathology and the vividness of visual imagery as being integral to the psychogenesis of psychosis-like (anomalous) symptomatology.

The aim of this study is to investigate how men in the social service in Gävle experience gender biases within the social work profession. We conducted a qualitative research with five male social workers that we interviewed regarding gender biases. The main result ended up under three themes which are client influence and reinforcement; work culture; and lastly the unconscious experience. The conclusion is that male social workers experience gender biases accordingly through three themes.

<p>Stock recommendations,frequently produced under time pressure, are susceptible to being the result of automatic and intuitive thinking. This is associated with using heuristics in decision-making which is studied by an entire school of research – the heuristics and bias approach. Heuristics of representativeness, availability and anchoring including associated biases as defined by Tversky and Kahneman provide the theoretical framework for the study. This study is aimed at extending the understanding of biases in general and cognitive biases with regard to stock recommendations. A total of thirty equity recommendations were analyzed. A t-test showed that more biases were present in the incorrect recommendations. Overconfidence, illusion of validity and anchoring were among the most frequently observed. The vast majority of recommendations were characterized by insensitivity to predictability indicating that forecasters are seemingly unaware of the difficulty of accurately predicting where the stock price is going to be within the next three to six months.</p>

Stock recommendations,frequently produced under time pressure, are susceptible to being the result of automatic and intuitive thinking. This is associated with using heuristics in decision-making which is studied by an entire school of research – the heuristics and bias approach. Heuristics of representativeness, availability and anchoring including associated biases as defined by Tversky and Kahneman provide the theoretical framework for the study. This study is aimed at extending the understanding of biases in general and cognitive biases with regard to stock recommendations. A total of thirty equity recommendations were analyzed. A t-test showed that more biases were present in the incorrect recommendations. Overconfidence, illusion of validity and anchoring were among the most frequently observed. The vast majority of recommendations were characterized by insensitivity to predictability indicating that forecasters are seemingly unaware of the difficulty of accurately predicting where the stock price is going to be within the next three to six months.