The insurance effect: How the possession of gas masks reduces the likelihood of a missile attack
Journal Title: Judgment and Decision Making - Year 2013, Vol 8, Issue 2
Abstract
When a threat looms large in people’s minds, they may seek protective measures that could mitigate the negative outcomes associated with this threat. Paradoxically, the possession of such protective measures may, in turn, inspire a sense of safety and reduce the perceived probability of the very threat that had originally triggered their acquisition. Thus, reminding people that they possess a medical insurance policy attenuated their perceived risk of suffering from health related misfortunes (Tykocinski, 2008). The current study conceptually replicates these findings and extends them to a different form of insurance. Reminding citizens in Israel of the fact that they possess gas masks significantly reduced their subjective estimates of the probability that Israel will be attacked by Iran.
Authors and Affiliations
Orit E. Tykocinski
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP678051
- DOI -
- Views 133
- Downloads 0
The opportunity-threat theory of decision-making under risk
A new theory of decision-making under risk, the Opportunity-Threat Theory is proposed. Analysis of risk into opportunity and threat components allows description of behavior as a combination of opportunity seeking and th...
Kenneth R. Hammond’s contributions to the study of judgment and decision making
Kenneth R. Hammond (1917–2015) made several major contributions to the science of human judgment and decision making. As a student of Egon Brunswik, he kept Brunswik’s legacy alive – advancing his theory of probabilistic...
New designs for research in delay discounting
The two most influential models in delay discounting research have been the exponential (E) and hyperbolic (H) models. We develop a new methodology to design binary choice questions such that exponential and hyperbolic d...
How to measure time preferences: An experimental comparison of three methods
In two studies, time preferences for financial gains and losses at delays of up to 50 years were elicited using three different methods: matching, fixed-sequence choice titration, and a dynamic “staircase” choice method....
Post-decision search in repeated and variable environments
When faced with a decision, people collect information to help them decide. Though it may seem unnecessary, people often continue to search for information about alternatives after they have already chosen an option, eve...