TY - JOUR
T1 - Conveniently dependent or naively overconfident? An experimental study on the reaction to external help
AU - Zhang, Jacquelyn
AU - Xu, Zhicheng
AU - Palma, Marco A.
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - The rapid development and diffusion of new technologies such as automation and artificial
intelligence makes life more convenient. At the same time, people may develop overdependence
on technology to simplify everyday tasks or to reduce the level of effort required to
accomplish them. We conduct a two-phase real-effort laboratory experiment to assess how
external assistance affects subsequent revealed preferences for the convenience of a lower
level of effort versus monetary rewards requiring greater effort. The results suggest that
men treated with external help in the first phase tend to choose more difficult options with
potentially higher monetary rewards. In contrast, after being treated with external help,
women exhibit a stronger propensity to utilize the convenience of an easier task and are
less likely to choose a more difficult option that carries higher potential earnings.
AB - The rapid development and diffusion of new technologies such as automation and artificial
intelligence makes life more convenient. At the same time, people may develop overdependence
on technology to simplify everyday tasks or to reduce the level of effort required to
accomplish them. We conduct a two-phase real-effort laboratory experiment to assess how
external assistance affects subsequent revealed preferences for the convenience of a lower
level of effort versus monetary rewards requiring greater effort. The results suggest that
men treated with external help in the first phase tend to choose more difficult options with
potentially higher monetary rewards. In contrast, after being treated with external help,
women exhibit a stronger propensity to utilize the convenience of an easier task and are
less likely to choose a more difficult option that carries higher potential earnings.
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0216617
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0216617
M3 - Article
VL - 14
JO - PLOS ONE (Public Library of Science)
JF - PLOS ONE (Public Library of Science)
IS - 5
ER -