Decision Making Clusters in Retirement Savings: Gender Differences Dominate

This study explored the impact of demographic factors on individuals’ investment choice decisions in retirement savings funds. Analysis found identifiable member clusters across a large and diverse sample of almost 150,000 transactions. Results suggested that gender and risk are the most dominant factors with women showing a strong tendency to make lower risk investment choices. If this behavioural tendency is not addressed through education it will accentuate the hurdles women already face in accumulating adequate saving for retirement.     

El emplazamiento de la memoria colectiva: Crónica Psicosocial

Resumen

El presente trabajo estudia la influencia de la «discusión grupal» sobre los estados afectivos inducidos. Se esperaba que, después de inducir estados afectivos (positivo vs negativo vs neutro) mediante la visión de secuencias de películas, el contexto de discusión grupal (positivo vs negativo), acentuara o atenuara el efecto del método de inducción. Para ello, se utilizó un diseño experimental en el que participaron un total de 60 sujetos, y en el que se analizaron las respuestas de cada grupo experimental en una tarea de asociación libre de palabras. Nuestros resultados demuestran que el efecto del contexto grupal es más potente que el de la visión de películas cortas, originando un número significativamente mayor de palabras originales en el primer caso que en el segundo. Estos resultados son analizados a la luz de recientes teorías sobre cognición y afecto.     

Robust methods of estimation of regression coefficients 1

Recently, cumulative residual entropy (CRE) has been found to be a new measure of information that parallels Shannon's entropy (see Rao et al. [Cumulative residual entropy: A new measure of information, IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory. 50(6) (2004), pp. 1220–1228] and Asadi and Zohrevand [On the dynamic cumulative residual entropy, J. Stat. Plann. Inference 137 (2007), pp. 1931–1941]). Motivated by this finding, in this paper, we introduce a generalized measure of it, namely cumulative residual Renyi's entropy, and study its properties. We also examine it in relation to some applied problems such as weighted and equilibrium models. Finally, we extend this measure into the bivariate set-up and prove certain characterizing relationships to identify different bivariate lifetime models.     

Reproductive and Developmental Risks from Ethylene Oxide: A Probabilistic Characterization of Possible Regulatory Thresholds

Ethylene oxide is a gas produced in large quantities in the United States that is used primarily as a chemical intermediate in the production of ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, non-ionic surfactants, ethanolamines, glycol ethers, and other chemicals. It has been well established that ethylene oxide can induce cancer, genetic, reproductive and developmental, and acute health effects in animals. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is currently developing both a cancer potency factor and a reference concentration (RfC) for ethylene oxide. This study used the rich database on the reproductive and developmental effects of ethylene oxide to develop a probabilistic characterization of possible regulatory thresholds for ethylene oxide. This analysis was based on the standard regulatory approach for noncancer risk assessment, but involved several innovative elements, such as: (1) the use of advanced statistical methods to account for correlations in developmental outcomes among littermates and allow for simultaneous control of covariates (such as litter size); (2) the application of a probabilistic approach for characterizing the uncertainty in extrapolating the animal results to humans; and (3) the use of a quantitative approach to account for the variation in heterogeneity among the human population. This article presents several classes of results, including: (1) probabilistic characterizations of ED10s for two quantal reproductive outcomes-resorption and fetal death, (2) probabilistic characterizations of one developmental outcome-the dose expected to yield a 5% reduction in fetal (or pup) weight, (3) estimates of the RfCs that would result from using these values in the standard regulatory approach for noncancer risk assessment, and (4) a probabilistic characterization of the level of ethylene oxide exposure that would be expected to yield a 1/1,000 increase in the risk of reproductive or developmental outcomes in exposed human populations.     

Gambling in Western and Eastern Europe: The Example of Hungary

The history of gambling in post-socialist countries is noticeably different from that of other countries in Europe. The goal of this study was therefore twofold: Firstly, to systematically review all European epidemiological studies related to excessive gambling in the general adult population, and secondly, to provide an overview of the state of gambling in Hungary based on the first ever nationwide representative survey, setting the results against the backdrop of the earlier European studies. A systematic review was carried out of European gambling studies which focus on a representative adult general population. Hungarian data was obtained from the National Survey on Addiction Problems in Hungary general adult population survey (N = 2,710). Pathological gambling was measured by the South Oaks Gambling Screen. Lifetime prevalence of excessive gambling (problem and pathological gambling) in the general adult population of European countries varies between 1.1% (Italy and Spain) and 6.5% (Estonia). In Hungary, the prevalence of problem gambling is 1.9%, with pathological gambling at 1.4%. The socio-demographic characteristics of the results are similar to those of other European countries. Using epidemiological data from the general adult populations of two post-socialist nations, it was possible to compare the results with data from 12 other European countries. Based on the data available, the extremely rapid liberation of the gambling market in the post-socialist countries has led to a similarly swift escalation in associated gambling problems.     

Financial capability and psychological health

Financial capability is receiving increasing interest among policy makers, who wish to reduce problem debt and welfare dependency and increase savings and general skills. We examine whether financial capability has impacts on psychological health independent of income and financial resources more generally using a nationally representative survey. Data from the British Household Panel Survey 1991-2006 are used to construct a measure of financial capability, which we relate to respondents’ psychological health using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire. Estimates from within-group panel data models indicate that financial capability has significant and substantial effects on psychological health over and above those associated with income and material wellbeing more generally. For men, having low financial capability has an effect larger than that associated with being unemployed, while for women it is similar to that of being divorced. Furthermore having low financial capability exacerbates the psychological costs associated with unemployment and divorce, while high financial capability reduces these costs.     

Temporal Relationships Among Depressive Symptoms,Risky Behavior Engagement,Perceived Control,and Gender in a Sample of Adolescents

The goals of the study were to examine whether (a) risky behaviors precede depressive symptoms or, conversely, depressive symptoms predict risky behavior engagement; (b) gender moderates the relationship between risky behavior engagement and depressive symptoms; and (c) perceived control strengthens the association between risky behavior engagement and depressive symptoms. At Time 1, 118 adolescents completed self‐report measures assessing perceived control, risky behavior engagement, and depressive symptoms. Follow‐up assessments occurred every 6 weeks (Times 2–5), and participants completed measures assessing risky behavior engagement and depressive symptoms. Results indicated that neither risky behavior engagement nor depressive symptoms emerged as main effects for the sample as a whole. When examining the relationship between depressive symptoms and risky behavior engagement as a function of gender, boys', but not girls', risky behavior engagement predicted higher levels of depressive symptoms. Irrespective of whether we examined boys or girls, depressive symptoms did not predict risky behavior engagement. With regards to the role of cognitive vulnerability, adolescents with lower levels of perceived control reported higher levels of depressive symptoms following risky behavior engagement. These findings suggest that both gender and cognitive vulnerability factors may potentiate the relationship between risky behavior engagement and subsequent depressive symptoms.