Photo vs. art? The design of consumption guidance in cultural food consumption

Drawing on mental simulation theory, this research examines the impact of consumption guidance and, in particular, the use of visual illustration in the design of consumption guidance on consumers’ evaluations of cultural food consumption. Through two consecutive studies, our research shows that photo (vs. art) illustration more effectively boosts consumers’ perceived food attractiveness and future purchase intention for cultural food consumption. The advantage of photo (vs. art) illustration is also moderated by ritual practice and consumers’ cosmopolitanism, as well as consumption guidance format. Moreover, we demonstrate that cognitively engaged mental simulation is the psychological mechanism underlying the conditional impact of photo (vs. art) illustration on consumers’ evaluations. These findings offer notable implications for theory and practice and present promising avenues for future research.     

Can information promote transportation-friendly location decisions? A simulation experiment

Where people live, work, shop, and recreate fundamentally determines their local travel options. Yet, information problems such as the cost of conducting comprehensive searches and cognitive load have been shown to limit decision-making. In the context of residential decision-making, information problems are likely to influence which locations get chosen. This study examines whether providing people seeking a rental home with map-based information about the transit and pedestrian accessibility of the available units might influence their residential location choices. More specifically, would some people make use of this information to select more accessible residences than they would have otherwise chosen?This proposition was tested through an experimental research design in a laboratory setting. Graduate student participants were asked to select their top choices of where to live after reviewing a database of residential properties custom-designed for this study. In order to assess the influence of accessibility information, we divided participants randomly into control and experimental groups, with the former receiving baseline information currently available and the latter receiving map-based supplemental property information on multi-modal accessibility to desirable destinations.The study results suggest that providing multi-modal accessibility information to people who are relocating will enhance the attractiveness of locations that support multiple travel modes. If this is true for broader populations, then planners and policy makers may be able to increase use of non-auto modes by providing multi-modal transportation information to people at the time when they are looking for a new residence.     

Of mice and men: Within gender variation in strategic behavior

We study behavioral differences across and within genders in a family of ultimatum and dictator games. We find these differences are due not only to altruistic preferences but also beliefs about the strategic behavior of others. The behavior of men in strategic situations is not significantly more aggressive than women on average. But this average masks wide variation in intra-gender behavior. In particular, a sizable minority of males are “mice,” behaving timidly in strategic environments. Our experimental design shows that the standard ultimatum game can mask significant inter- and intra-gender differences in strategic behavior. These behavioral patterns in strategic environments are shown to be correlated with preferences for altruism in non-strategic settings. Such gender differences could well manifest themselves in real-world large-stakes transactions, such as salary negotiations.     

研究型大学经济管理类实验教学体系建设初探

实验教学已经成为高校经济与管理类人才培养过程中不可欠缺的重要环节。对于研究型大学来说,更应当根据自身的特点．将人才培养的目标与社会经济发展的需求相结合,充分利用有效的实验教学体系培养具有较强的实践能力和创新能力,适应社会需求的应用型、复合型人才。     

Experimental evidence on coverage choices and contract prices in the market for corporate insurance

In this paper, we present experimental evidence on the effect adverse selection has on coverage choices and pricing in corporate insurance markets. Two sets of experimental data, each generated by experiments utilizing a specific parameterization of a corporate insurance decision, are presented to gauge these effects. In the first, subject behavior conforms to a unique equilibrium in which high risk firms choose higher coverage and contracts are priced accordingly. Insurers act competitively and convergence to equilibrium behavior is marked. In the second set, there is little evidence that subject behavior is consistent with either of the two equilibrium outcomes supported by the experimental setting—pooling by fully insuring losses and pooling by self insuring. JEL Classification C90, G14, G22 Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10683-006-9152-y.     

体验经济视角下赫哲民族文化旅游演艺发展研究

赫哲民族文化旅游演艺是一种知识型、体验型和娱乐型的文化产业。文章以体验为视角,在进行调查分析的基础上,提出赫哲民族文化旅游演艺发展策略,即提升演出质量,坚持"原汁原味原生态"的演出内容;强化互动程度,增强游客体验参与性;完善服务设施,提高服务态度;明确演出时间,采取立体营销手段。     

Behind and beyond a shared definition of ecological rationality: A functional view of heuristics

Observing human behavior in laboratories reveals time and again the undeniable influence of social components, even in the isolation of carefully designed experiments. Clearly, social and cultural constructs shape human cognition. The study of ecological rationality recognizes the importance of specifying these and other characteristics of the environment as a basis of cognition. In this paper, we compare the views of Vernon Smith and Gerd Gigerenzer, the founders of two leading research programs on ecological rationality, one in economics and one in psychology. Based on their written work and on interviews conducted by one of the authors, this article brings together for the first time the essence and principles of the study of ecological rationality in these two traditions. This conjoint presentation poses important questions and clarifies methodological challenges in the understanding of actual human behavior from experimental data. Smith sees ecological and constructivist rationality as two complementing versions of economic rationality, while Gigerenzer regards the study of fast-and-frugal heuristics as the appropriate scientific method for exploring real-world rationality. Drawing a connection between forms of rationality and emergence of experimental knowledge, we note that a theory of behavior cannot be deducted from observations alone. Establishing a theoretical framework for observed behavior starts with a search for norms that are sensitive to the context and content of the situation in which a choice is made. Studying the ecological rationality of heuristics, markets, and institutions reveals such norms.     

Playing Cournot although they shouldn’t

Summary. In this note, we experimentally investigate the extended game with action commitment in a Cournot duopoly with asymmetric cost. Risk dominance considerations allow to select a unique equilibrium in which the low-cost firm is the Stackelberg leader. The data, however, do not support the theory as simultaneous-move play is modal. Average output choices are in line with the Cournot equilibrium. This suggests that Cournot is a much more robust predictor for competition in markets than theory suggests.Received: 14 October 2002, Revised: 1 December 2003, JEL Classification Numbers: C72, C92, D43. Correspondence to: Hans-Theo Normann     

Exploring the capability to reason backwards: An experimental study with children,adolescents, and young adults

This is the first study investigating the development of the capability to reason backwards in children, adolescents, and young adults aged 6 to 23 under controlled laboratory conditions. The experimental design employs a modified version of the race game. As in the original game, subjects need to apply backward analysis in order to solve the games. We find that subjects’ capability to reason backwards improves with age, but that this process systematically differs across genders. Our repetition of the games indicates that differences exist also in learning between age groups and across genders.