Financial Exploitation of Older Adults
Conditions
Keywords
financial exploitation, financial decision-making, scam, behavioral nudging
Brief summary
This study seeks to test novel informational content / nudge strategies to mitigate financial vulnerability among older adults.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALParticipants receiving informational self-nudges to improve financial decision-making
Participants will be asked to virtually go through financial self-nudging informational content during the week prior to completing behavioral tasks. Self-nudging informational content contains strategies to enhance financial decision-making.
BEHAVIORALControl - Participants receiving informational content on healthy eating and physical activity
The control group will be exposed to informational content on healthy eating and physical activity (obtained through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and/or National Institute on Aging webpages).
Sponsors
The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
60 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Adults over the age of 60 * English speakers, to ensure comprehension of study tasks * High vulnerability to financial exploitation as assessed by the Financial Exploitation Vulnerability Scale (FEVS)
Exclusion criteria
* Less than age 60 * Non-English speaker
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Frequency of choosing the riskier option on the risk tolerance decision-making task | During the time of the decision-making task (about 5-10 minutes) | Participants will complete a decision-making session that captures multiple dimensions of behavioral preferences via incentivized choice-based tasks with real monetary rewards. The study team will administer the following decision-making task via a web-based survey platform to characterize risk tolerance (willingness to accept uncertain outcomes). The task involves multiple rounds (between 20 to 40) that vary option-specific information to facilitate mapping of elicited behavioral responses onto parameters characterizing standard utility functions. |
| Frequency of choosing the more trusting option on the trust decision-making task | During the time of the decision-making task (about 5-10 minutes) | Participants will complete a decision-making session that captures multiple dimensions of behavioral preferences via incentivized choice-based tasks with real monetary rewards. The study team will administer the following decision-making task via a web-based survey platform to characterize interpersonal trust (willingness to accept being vulnerable to other people). The task involves multiple rounds (between 20 to 40) that vary option-specific information to facilitate mapping of elicited behavioral responses onto parameters characterizing standard utility functions. |
| Frequency of choosing the more altruistic option on the altruism decision-making task | During the time of the decision-making task (about 5-10 minutes) | Participants will complete a decision-making session that captures multiple dimensions of behavioral preferences via incentivized choice-based tasks with real monetary rewards. The study team will administer the following decision-making task via a web-based survey platform to characterize altruism (willingness to incur a financial cost to benefit another person). The task involves multiple rounds (between 20 to 40) that vary option-specific information to facilitate mapping of elicited behavioral responses onto parameters characterizing standard utility functions. |
| Frequency of choosing the more patient option on the impatience decision-making task | During the time of the decision-making task (about 5-10 minutes) | Participants will complete a decision-making session that captures multiple dimensions of behavioral preferences via incentivized choice-based tasks with real monetary rewards. The study team will administer the following decision-making task via a web-based survey platform to characterize patience (willingness to forego a sooner reward for a bigger future reward). The task involves multiple rounds (between 20 to 40) that vary option-specific information to facilitate mapping of elicited behavioral responses onto parameters characterizing standard utility functions. |
| Frequency of choosing the less loss-averse option on the loss-aversion decision-making task | During the time of the decision-making task (about 5-10 minutes) | Participants will complete a decision-making session that captures multiple dimensions of behavioral preferences via incentivized choice-based tasks with real monetary rewards. The study team will administer the following decision-making task via a web-based survey platform to characterize loss aversion (tendency to weigh potential losses more heavily than equivalent gains). The task involves multiple rounds (between 20 to 40) that vary option-specific information to facilitate mapping of elicited behavioral responses onto parameters characterizing standard utility functions. |
| Physiological arousal as measured via heart rate | During the time of the decision-making tasks (about 20-40 minutes) | Participants recruited for in-lab sessions will complete the decision-making tasks while also sitting before a monitor with an eye-tracker to monitor attention, a webcam to monitor facial expressions, and with a wireless device (non-invasive transmitter placed on participant's wrist with two electrodes attached to finger) worn to monitor physiological measurements (heart rate and skin conductance) while completing the choice-based tasks. |
| Physiological arousal as measured via skin conductance | During the time of the decision-making tasks (about 20-40 minutes) | Participants recruited for in-lab sessions will complete the decision-making tasks while also sitting before a monitor with an eye-tracker to monitor attention, a webcam to monitor facial expressions, and with a wireless device (non-invasive transmitter placed on participant's wrist with two electrodes attached to finger) worn to monitor physiological measurements (heart rate and skin conductance) while completing the choice-based tasks. |
| Physiological arousal as measured via pupil dilation | During the time of the decision-making tasks (about 20-40 minutes) | Participants recruited for in-lab sessions will complete the decision-making tasks while also sitting before a monitor with an eye-tracker to monitor attention, a webcam to monitor facial expressions, and with a wireless device (non-invasive transmitter placed on participant's wrist with two electrodes attached to finger) worn to monitor physiological measurements (heart rate and skin conductance) while completing the choice-based tasks. |
| Frequency of facial expressions associated with valence and engagement | During the time of the decision-making tasks (about 20-40 minutes) | Participants recruited for in-lab sessions will complete the decision-making tasks while also sitting before a monitor with an eye-tracker to monitor attention, a webcam to monitor facial expressions, and with a wireless device (non-invasive transmitter placed on participant's wrist with two electrodes attached to finger) worn to monitor physiological measurements (heart rate and skin conductance) while completing the choice-based tasks. Facial expressions will be assessed using a facial expression analysis system (iMotions software). |
| Attention as assessed by eye fixations | During the time of the decision-making tasks (about 20-40 minutes) | Participants recruited for in-lab sessions will complete the decision-making tasks while also sitting before a monitor with an eye-tracker to monitor attention, a webcam to monitor facial expressions, and with a wireless device (non-invasive transmitter placed on participant's wrist with two electrodes attached to finger) worn to monitor physiological measurements (heart rate and skin conductance) while completing the choice-based tasks. Relative fixation duration on each option in the behavioral tasks will be measured via an eye tracker (SmartEye). |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Response time during the behavioral tasks | During the time of the decision-making tasks (about 20-40 minutes) | Response time will be reported as the time from stimulus presentation to choice, in milliseconds. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
CONTACTAbdelaziz Alsharawy, PhD
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORAbdelaziz Alsharawy, PhD
The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
Outcome results
None listed