Comparing Utility Differences

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Instructions for Comparing Utility Differences


This last task asks you to compare differences in utility. You now have experience judging differences in utility for winning or losing amounts of money.

Each trial has a pair of absolute differences in utility. For example, in Item #4, the difference on the left is between breaking even and losing $50 and on the right, the difference is between breaking even and winning $50. Which absolute difference in utility is bigger? Click to the right if the difference on the right is bigger and click to the left if the difference on the left is bigger. Click closer to the ends of the scale when the difference between differences is more extreme, and close to the center when the two differences are nearly equal.

This task is brief, but it is the most important to our research, so please read each choice carefully. Some of the trials have a correct answer, which we used to determine if you are following instructions.

4. |BREAK EVEN $0 - LOSE $50| versus |WIN $50 - BREAK EVEN $0|
Left Difference Bigger   Right Difference Bigger

5. |BREAK EVEN $0 - WIN $100| versus |LOSE $100 - BREAK EVEN $0|
Left Difference Bigger   Right Difference Bigger

6. |LOSE $10 - LOSE $80| versus |BREAK EVEN: $0 - LOSE $100|
Left Difference Bigger   Right Difference Bigger

7. |LOSE $10 - LOSE $80| versus |WIN $80 - WIN $10|
Left Difference Bigger   Right Difference Bigger

8. |WIN $100 - WIN $20| versus |LOSE $20 - LOSE $100|
Left Difference Bigger   Right Difference Bigger

9. |WIN $100 - WIN $50| versus |WIN $50 - BREAK EVEN $0|
Left Difference Bigger   Right Difference Bigger

10. |BREAK EVEN $0 - LOSE $50| versus |LOSE $50 - LOSE $100|
Left Difference Bigger   Right Difference Bigger

11. |WIN $50 - WIN $20| versus |WIN $80 - WIN $50|
Left Difference Bigger   Right Difference Bigger

12. |LOSE $50 - LOSE $80| versus |LOSE $50 - LOSE $20|
Left Difference Bigger   Right Difference Bigger

13. |WIN $50 - LOSE $50| versus |WIN $100 - BREAK EVEN $0|
Left Difference Bigger   Right Difference Bigger

14. |BREAK EVEN $0 - LOSE $100| versus |WIN $50 - LOSE $50|
Left Difference Bigger   Right Difference Bigger

15. |LOSE $20 - LOSE $100| versus |LOSE $30 - LOSE $50|
Left Difference Bigger   Right Difference Bigger

Please check your answers.

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Thank You!