Decision-making biases in children and early adolescents: exploratory studies

Abstract

Note: This is the last copy I have before the published version, which probably is different. In Study 1, a ‘gifted ’ group and an ‘underprivileged ’ group of subjects, ages 7 to 15, were questioned about vignettes raising various issues in decision making: the precedent-setting effect of choices, the role of probability and frequency in choice, actively open-minded thinking (i.e., considering more than one goal and arguments on both sides of a controversial question), the sunk cost effect, and omission bias. Subjects were often inattentive to precedent setting and probability. Age difference were found only in an item concerning search for goals and an item concerning use of frequency. The gifted group showed better performance on some items but worse performance on the omission-bias item. In Study 2, children aged 5 to 12 were interviewed about items concerned with actively open-minded thinking, precedent setting, sunk cost, and omission bias. We also examined bias in the classification of arguments as being for or against one’s position. Errors in this task showed a ‘myside ’ bias: arguments were erroneously classified as supporting the subject’s favored option. Consistent age effects were absent. Study 3 found that seventh graders showed less omission bias than second graders, contrary to Studies 1 and 2. ∗ The first two studies were supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health to Decision Sciences

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