Impatience and Uncertainty: Experimental Decisions Predict Adolescents' Field Behavior

Matthias Sutter, Martin Kocher, Daniela Glätzle-Rützler and Stefan Trautmann

No 5404, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: We study risk attitudes, ambiguity attitudes, and time preferences of 661 children and adolescents, aged ten to eighteen years, in an incentivized experiment. We relate experimental choices to field behavior. Experimental measures of impatience are found to be significant predictors of health related field behavior and saving decisions. In particular, more impatient children and adolescents are more likely to spend money on alcohol and cigarettes, have a higher body mass index (BMI) and are less likely to save money. Experimental measures for risk and ambiguity attitudes are only weak predictors of field behavior.

Keywords: experiments with children and adolescents; risk; savings; external validity; field behavior; ambiguity; time preferences; health status (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C91 C93 D81 D90 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 49 pages
Date: 2010-12
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (19)

Published - extended version published in: American Economic Review, 2013, 103 (1), 510-531

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Related works:
Journal Article: Impatience and Uncertainty: Experimental Decisions Predict Adolescents' Field Behavior (2013)
Working Paper: Impatience and uncertainty: Experimental decisions predict adolescents' field behavior (2013)
Working Paper: Impatience and Uncertainty: Experimental Decisions Predict Adolescents' Field Behavior (2011)
Working Paper: Impatience and Uncertainty: Experimental Decisions Predict Adolescents' Field Behavior (2011)
Working Paper: Impatience and uncertainty: Experimental decisions predict adolescents' field behavior (2010)
Working Paper: Impatience and Uncertainty: Experimental Decisions Predict Adolecents' Field Behavior (2010)
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