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Risk Attitudes of Children and Adults: Choices Over Small and Large Probability Gains and Losses

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Author Info
William T. Harbaugh
Kate Krause
Lise Vesterlund

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Abstract

In this paper we examine how risk attitudes change with age. We present participants from age 5 to 65 with choices between simple gambles and the expected value of the gambles. The gambles are over both gains and losses, and vary in the probability of the non-zero payoff. Surprisingly, we find that many participants are risk seeking when faced with high-probability prospects over gains and risk averse when faced with small-probability prospects. Over losses we find the exact opposite. Children's choices are consistent with the underweighting of low-probability events and the overweighting of high-probability ones. This tendency diminishes with age, and on average adults appear to use the objective probability when evaluating risky prospects.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by The Field Experiments Website in its series Artefactual Field Experiments with number 0047.

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Length: 32 pages
Date of creation: 2002
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Handle: RePEc:feb:artefa:0047

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Related research
Keywords: probability weighting; subjective expected utility; prospect theory; children; risk;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
D80 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - General

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:

  1. Drazen Prelec, 1998. "The Probability Weighting Function," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 66(3), pages 497-528, May.
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. William T. Harbaugh & Kate Krause & Steven G. Liday & Lise Vesterlund, 2001. "Trust in Children," University of Oregon Economics Department Working Papers 2002-10, University of Oregon Economics Department, revised 25 Mar 2002. [Downloadable!]
  2. Rick Harbaugh, 2005. "Prospect Theory or Skill Signaling?," Working Papers 2005-06, Indiana University, Kelley School of Business, Department of Business Economics and Public Policy. [Downloadable!]
  3. Antoni Bosch-Domènech & Joaquim Silvestre, 2006. "Averting risk in the face of large losses: Bernoulli vs. Tversky and Kahneman," Economics Working Papers 932, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra. [Downloadable!]
  4. Matthias Sutter & Martin G. Kocher, 2004. "Age and the development of trust and reciprocity," Papers on Strategic Interaction 2004-01, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Strategic Interaction Group. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. Enrico Diecidue & Peter Wakker & Marcel Zeelenberg, 2007. "Eliciting decision weights by adapting de Finetti’s betting-odds method to prospect theory," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 34(3), pages 179-199, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. William T. Harbaugh & Kate Krause & Lise Vesterlund, 2002. "Prospect Theory in Choice and Pricing Tasks," University of Oregon Economics Department Working Papers 2002-02, University of Oregon Economics Department, revised 20 Aug 2007. [Downloadable!]
  7. Antoni Bosch-Domènech & Joaquim Silvestre, 2003. "Do the Wealthy Risk More Money? An Experimental Comparison," Economics Working Papers 692, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, revised Jan 2005. [Downloadable!]
  8. Lise Vesterlund & Bill Harbaugh & Kate Krause, 2005. "The Fourfold Pattern of Risk Attitudes in Choice and Pricing Tasks," Working Papers 268, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Economics, revised Jan 2005.
  9. David Perez-Castrillo & Robert F. Veszteg, 2005. "Experimental Evidence on the Multibidding Mechanism," UFAE and IAE Working Papers 638.05, Unitat de Fonaments de l'Anàlisi Econòmica (UAB) and Institut d'Anàlisi Econòmica (CSIC). [Downloadable!]
  10. Alessandro Bucciol & Marco Piovesan, 2008. "Luck or Cheating? A Field Experiment on Honesty with Children," Discussion Papers 08-28, University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  11. E. Elisabet Rutstrom & Glenn W. Harrison & Morten I. Lau, 2004. "Estimating Risk Attitudes in Denmark," Econometric Society 2004 Australasian Meetings 201, Econometric Society. [Downloadable!]
  12. Antoni Bosch-Domènech & Joaquim Silvestre, 2006. "Reflections on gains and losses: A 2 × 2 × 7 experiment," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 33(3), pages 217-235, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Irwin P. Levin & Joshua A. Weller & Ashley A. Pederson & Lyndsay A. Harshman, 2007. "Age-related differences in adaptive decision making: Sensitivity to expected value in risky choice," Judgment and Decision Making, Society for Judgment and Decision Making, vol. 2, pages 225-233, August. [Downloadable!]
  14. Shelly Lundberg & Jennifer Romich & Kwok Tsang, 2009. "Decision-making by children," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 7(1), pages 1-30, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  15. Antoni Bosch-Domènech & Joaquim Silvestre, 2002. "Reflections on Gains and Losses: A 2x2x7 Experiment," Economics Working Papers 640, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, revised Feb 2005. [Downloadable!]
  16. Robert Hoffmann & Jin-Yee Tee, 2003. "Adolescent-Adult Interactions and Culture in the Ultimatum Game," Occasional Papers 4, Nottingham University Business School. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  17. Alexander Matros & Wooyoung Lim & Theodore Turocy, 2009. "Raising Revenue With Raffles: Evidence from a Laboratory Experiment," Working Papers 377, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Economics, revised Feb 2009. [Downloadable!]
  18. Steffen Anderson & Glenn W. Harrison & Morten Igel Lau & E. Elisabet Rutstrom, 2004. "Preference Heterogeneity in Experiments: Comparing the Field and Lab," Artefactual Field Experiments 0002, The Field Experiments Website. [Downloadable!]
  19. P Brooks & H Zank, 2004. "Attitudes on Gain and Loss Lotteries: A Simple Experiment," The School of Economics Discussion Paper Series 0402, Economics, The University of Manchester. [Downloadable!]
  20. Nathalie Etchart-Vincent, 2009. "Probability weighting and the ‘level’ and ‘spacing’ of outcomes: An experimental study over losses," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 39(1), pages 45-63, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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