The ability to process emotional information predicts loss aversion

On the basis of previous research it was hypothesized that alexithymia is associated with a higher tolerance for losses. This hypothesis is extended to explore whether the putative link between loss aversion and alexithymia remains once traits associated with risk taking (sensation seeking) and broad based personality traits (the Big 5) are controlled. Participants (N = 260) completed indices of alexithymia, sensation seeking and the Big 5 and both a riskless (endowment effect) and risky (lottery task) measure of loss aversion. It was found that the higher the alexithymia score the lower the loss aversion for both riskless and risky decisions even when sex, sensation seeking and the Big 5 are taken into account. The implications for this finding are discussed in the light of a neurological explanation of the relationship between alexithymia and loss aversion.     

Homophily in stable and unstable adolescent friendships: Similarity breeds constancy

This study examines homophily among adolescent friends. Participants were drawn from a community-based sample of Swedish youth who ranged from 11 to 18 years old. A total of 436 girls and 338 boys identified their closest friends and described their own delinquent activities, intoxication frequency, achievement motivation, and self-worth. Correlations and difference scores describe similarity between reciprocally nominated friends on each dimension. Adolescents who remained friends from one year to the next tended to be more similar than those who did not, during the friendship and, to a lesser extent, before the friendship. Comparisons with random pairs of same-age peers revealed that age-group homophily accounts for most of the similarity between unstable friends but only a fraction of the similarity between stable friends.     

Decision Preceding Negativity in the Iowa Gambling Task: an ERP study

The present study aimed to investigate the slow negative potential (termed Decision Preceding Negativity, DPN, from the family of the Readiness Potential) which precedes a willed risky decision. To this end, evoked potentials preceding and following an economic choice were measured in a sample of 16 male students during the Iowa Gambling Task modified for ERPs recording. Statistics revealed reduced positivity/relative greater negativity (marking relative activation) in right prefrontal sites and reduced negativity (indicating relative inhibition of DPN) in central clusters over left premotor cortex, 500 ms before picking from economically disadvantageous risky decks. Analyses of the potentials elicited by the economic outcome (wins vs. losses) showed the classical frontal negativity (N260) to the economic losses. Results are consistent with the view that an economically risky decision is preceded by a relative inhibition of the planned motor response together with the activation of emotion-related right frontal sites.     

Reducing defensive distancing: Self-affirmation and risk regulation in response to relationship threats

The risk regulation model proposes that people with low self-esteem, but not those with high self-esteem, react to relationship-based self-threats by defensively distancing from their partner. In the present study, we hypothesized that a self-affirmation manipulation, by restoring self-worth and integrity for people with low self-esteem, would attenuate this defensive distancing behavior. Participants were exposed to either a relationship-based self-threat or no such threat, and then completed a self-affirmation or a control task. As predicted, when presented with a self-threat, individuals with low self-esteem distanced from their partner. This effect was attenuated if they were given the opportunity to self-affirm. By contrast, the threat and self-affirmation manipulations had no effect for those with high self-esteem. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for risk regulation theory and self-affirmation theory.     

Depression, impulsivity and health-related disability: A moderated mediation analysis

The goal of the current study is to examine how impulsivity affects the relationship between depression and health-related disability. Specifically, we examined impulsivity as a possible moderator of this relationship, as well as alcohol use, smoking, and binge eating as possible mediators. The study utilized the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiological Surveys (N = 20,013, mean age = 43.38, female = 57.3%). We conducted a series of moderated mediation analyses to test hypotheses. In all analyses, the relationship between depression and health-related disability was mediated by each maladaptive coping behavior, and the relationship between depression and the behavior was moderated by impulsivity. The study supports the utility of examining the individual difference mechanisms that might drive the relationship between depression and health-related disability.     

商业银行信贷风险管理中的内部利益冲突与伦理治理

商业银行信贷风险管理中最大的难题是内部利益冲突导致的风险管理失灵甚至无效。信贷从业人员个人权力与组织利益的冲突、眼前利益与长远利益的冲突、等等银行内部利益的冲突时刻都在冲击着风险管理的闸门。这些利益冲突因为风险本身的特征而具有隐蔽性。要真正落实风险管理,就必须运用伦理治理手段平衡有关利益。     

Predictors of demand for risk mitigation in transport

The core aim of the present study is to examine the associations between risk awareness, risk perception, worry and risk tolerance on the one hand and priority of safety and demand for risk mitigation in transport on the other hand. The results are based on a self-completion questionnaire survey carried out in a randomly selected representative sample of the Norwegian public obtained from the Norwegian population registry during the autumn and winter 2004 (n = 510). The response rate was 51% and comparisons with general population statistics showed that the sample was adequately representative of the Norwegian population in regard of gender, age, education and previous injury experience. Three variables (risk awareness, worry and priority of safety) were significant predictors of demand for risk mitigation. There was also a negative association between worry and risk tolerance. Contrary to previous research on risk perception, the present study did not find support for the hypothesis that general risk perception was a significant predictor, neither of priority of safety, nor of demand for risk mitigation. However, as expected perceived risk was strongly associated with the respondents’ worry. Worry was a significant predictor of priority of safety as well as for demands for risk mitigation. Personal worry did not have the same effect on demand for risk mitigation as general worry.     

A longitudinal study on the relationship between adolescents’ medical drama viewing and speeding

The present study aimed to examine whether watching medical drama had a long-term protective effect on speeding behavior. Specifically, this research examined the extent to which medical drama viewing in adolescence predicts risk perceptions, crash fear, speeding attitudes and self-reported speeding behavior in early adulthood. Using a longitudinal research method, 487 adolescents (M_age = 17.7 at baseline) who responded to an earlier survey were re-interviewed five years later. Structural equation modeling indicated that more medical drama viewing at baseline was associated with increased risk perception and higher driving-related fear five years later. The fear of being involved in a traffic crash appeared to be associated with less favorable attitudes toward speeding. Furthermore, in line with the expectations, these speeding attitudes were a significant predictor of self-reported speeding behavior. These results help to provide a better understanding of the relationship between media use and subsequent risk-taking, and have implications for prevention efforts.     

Gender differences in attitudes towards driving and demand for private Insurance: Evidence from middle class drivers

This article examines the existence of associations between the gender of the driver, their risk behavior when driving motor vehicles and their inclination to acquire automobile insurance. To conduct this investigation a random survey was carried out with 566 middle class adults in 66 Brazilian towns and cities. By using non-parametric tests and logit models, the results suggest that even when controlling for other variables, women feel a greater need to have automobile insurance to protect themselves in the event of possible accidents under rainy conditions and also to have access to driver support services. Women also tend to have more respect for speed limits in various situations, such as during the rush hour, on local roads and on highways. The results also showed that men feel safer than women driving in more precarious situations: at night, in unfamiliar areas, after drinking, or even when they are tired. These results, in addition to contributing to the theoretical development of road traffic and transportation safety, are of special relevance to the financial industry and the regulatory agency. The insurance industry may find these results particularly helpful in designing future policies and setting premiums.