Inconsistent choices among adolescents in El Salvador

This paper examines inconsistencies in the decision-making of a sample of 2,248 adolescents from El Salvador when completing two classic experiments: temporal discounting and risk preferences. Inconsistency in responses is a significant issue when collecting experimental data because it implies a lo...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Gonzales, Gladis, Gaviria, Adriana
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:España
Institución:Universidad Loyola Andalucía
Repositorio:Brújula
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.uloyola.es:20.500.12412/4944
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12412/4944
https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/av2hw
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:El Salvador
Teenagers
Inconsistencies
Developmental decision-making
Field experiment
Descripción
Sumario:This paper examines inconsistencies in the decision-making of a sample of 2,248 adolescents from El Salvador when completing two classic experiments: temporal discounting and risk preferences. Inconsistency in responses is a significant issue when collecting experimental data because it implies a loss of the sample, as these data come from subjects who do not respond to the task as they should and could indicate, for instance, a lack of understanding of the task. To mitigate this problem, we reduced the number of decisions, designed tasks with a strong visual component, and adapted them to the context with the assistance of a local pedagogical team. Despite these adaptations, we first observe participants' significant difficulties in avoiding errors such as multiple switching. Secondly, we investigate whether developmental factors (age), cognitive skills, and task repetition improve consistency. Lastly, we explore whether inconsistency in decision-making somehow shapes their immediate and long-term educational expectations.