The effect of amount and tangibility of endowment and certainty of recipients on selfishness in a modified dictator game.

Taiwanese college students (N = 101) participated in the study to examine the effects of the amount of an endowment, the tangibility of an endowment, and the certainty of the recipient on selfishness in a modified dictator game. Results showed that dictators were more selfish when allocating tangible (money) than less tangible (honor credits) endowments. Selfishness was higher when large amounts of money were involved. The certainty of the recipient was manipulated by whether the recipient was chosen and announced before or after the decision. Unexpectedly, participants were more self-interested in the certain-recipient condition than in the uncertain-recipient condition. In the honor condition, the amount of an endowment and the certainty of the recipient did not affect participants' allocations.

Work experience effect on idolatry and the impulsive buying tendencies of adolescents.

The interrelationships of three issues relevant to adolescents are the focus of this study, namely, work experience, idolatry, and impulsive buying. Many young people work at some time during their years at high school, which is part of the process of socialization in terms of both thinking and behavior. Idolatry is a common phenomenon among adolescents, and is the way adolescents develop their own values and ideals. Marketers have long recognized the significance of impulse buying, but most studies focus on adult consumers. The purpose of this study was to examine the part-time job effect on idolatry and impulsive buying tendencies of 13- to 20-year-old Taiwanese adolescents. A survey of 337 high school and college students was conducted and results indicate that it has a moderating effect.