Time-Inconsistent Risk Preferences in a Laboratory Experiment

K. Jeremy Ko, Zhijian (James) Huang
2009 Social Science Research Network  
We conducted an experiment to explore the time-consistency of risk preferences in a multi-period betting game. Specifically, subjects planned their contingent betting decisions in advance then played the game dynamically later to determine whether their respective decisions matched. We found that subjects took more risk than planned in their initial bet and after losses. In addition, this increased risk was associated with an increase in breakeven mental accounting. Our findings indicate that
more » ... mediacy of outcomes can lead to impulsive risk-taking behavior and highlight the importance of precommitment to long-term financial planning. JEL Classification: C91; D81; G14
doi:10.2139/ssrn.1571723 fatcat:5opbt3r23bfgfl45h3hkna47gy