Columbia University & the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania

Insurance Decision-Making Questionnaire


This page provides you with the information that you need to decide whether to participate in this research study, including the nature, purpose and risks involved in the study. Contact the investigator (see below) if you have other questions.

We invite you to participate in a Columbia University & Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania) research project on judgment and decision-making.  The project is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF award # 0136872) and is not for marketing/commercial purposes.  The current study investigates how people make decisions related to insurance or other protective measures.

Risks & Benefits

There are no known risks to your health or general well-being associated with participation in this study.

By participating in this study you may be able to assist in developing better ways of making decisions under risk and uncertainty. You will also gain educational insight into how real psychology studies are conducted. There are no other direct benefits to participation.

Confidentiality

All data obtained (including personal information) will be kept strictly confidential. Results of the survey will be reported only in aggregate form, across all participants; individuals will not be identified in any way in the reports. We will not inquire information on your name and mailing addresses.

The Questionnaire

The current study comprises three sections:

Section I includes some short reading material regarding sharing risks through insurance.  Reading this materials may help you to better understand risk sharing and insurance in general.

Section II includes four short imaginary insurance scenarios followed by questions about your hypothetical choices and motivations for making those choices. 

Section III includes a few background questions about you, such as age, gender, etc.  All information will be recorded anonymously.  We ask for this information in order to check whether responses to the scenarios differ with age, gender, etc.

It takes approximately 20-30 minutes to complete the study. Please read the materials carefully and answer the questions responsibly. Your careful responses will help us to further understand individual decision making under risk.

Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns about the study, you may contact the investigator, Dr. Xin Piao at xin@psych.columbia.edu.

If you have any questions about your rights as a participant, you may contact the Columbia University Institutional Review Board (2910 Broadway, New York, NY 10025. 212-854-1324), a committee organized to protect the rights and welfare of human subjects involved in research.

When you click on "Show Me the Questionnaire" below, you thereby affirm that you are satisfied with the information that precedes, and you consent to continue with the study. Please complete the study only once.


 

If you agree with all the statements above, please click the link below to begin the questionnaire:

Note: this questionnaire has been tested on Internet Explorer 6.0, Netscape 8.0 and Mozila Firefox 1.04.