Instructions for Judging Utility of Wins and Losses


This is a study of psychological measurement. We are trying to measure how people feel about experiences.

Imagine that you play a game in which you can either win or lose money based on the toss of a coin. In this game, you might lose or win amounts of money listed below. Imagine how you would feel if you won or lost those amounts of money listed below. How would you feel if you lost $100? How would you feel if you won $50? How would you feel if you broke even (neither won nor lost anything)?

LOSE $100, LOSE $80, LOSE $60, LOSE $40, LOSE $20,
BREAK EVEN $0, WIN $20, WIN $40, WIN $60, WIN $80, WIN $100

Scroll down and look at the 11 questions below. Please rate how you would feel on a scale from 0 to 100 for each of the following experiences. Assign 0 to the worst experience listed here (LOSE $100) and assign 100 to the best experience (WIN $100), and assign numbers in between according to the psychological value of the expereiences. That is, we are not asking you to do any arithmetic or to tell us about the numbers, but instead to tell us about how you would feel if you won or lost those amounts of money.

Write a number indicating your feelings on the scale from 0 to 100 for each case. Use 0 for the worst experience below (Type 0 in the box for #1) and let 100 stand for the best experience (Type 100 in box for #11), and then use numbers between 0 and 100 to represent how you would feel if you won or lost each of those amounts.

1. LOSE $100

2. LOSE $80

3. LOSE $60

4. LOSE $40

5. LOSE $20

6. BREAK EVEN $0

7. WIN $20

8. WIN $40

9. WIN $60

10. WIN $80

11. WIN $100

Please look over your answers and adjust them to reflect how you would feel if you lost or won these amounts. What number did you assign to Breaking Even? Try to make the differences in the numbers match the differences in your feelings about these experiences.

12. Are you Male or Female?
Female
Male

13. What is your age? years.

14. What is the highest level of education you have completed?

15. Nationality (country of birth):

16. COMMENTS:

CSUF Students: Please complete the following, which will be used only for the purpose of assigning credit to the SONA account.

17. LAST NAME:

18. FIRST NAME:

19. Last four digits of CWID (Campus ID):

20. EMAIL (Campus email):

Please check your answers. When you are done, push the button below.

Thank You!