Cover Image
QR Code

Sunk Cost Effect in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The sunk cost effect, an interesting and well-known decision bias, is pervasive in real life and has been studied in various disciplines. In this study, we modified a task exemplifying the sunk cost effect and used it to evaluate this behavior in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The...

Full description

Published in:Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders Vol. 49; no. 1; pp. 1 - 11
Main Authors: Fujino, Junya, Tei, Shisei, Itahashi, Takashi, Aoki, Yuta, Ohta, Haruhisa, Kanai, Chieko, Kubota, Manabu, Hashimoto, Ryu-ichiro, Nakamura, Motoaki, Kato, Nobumasa, Takahashi, Hidehiko
Format: research tables/charts Journal Article
Published: Springer Nature Jan2019
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Summary:The sunk cost effect, an interesting and well-known decision bias, is pervasive in real life and has been studied in various disciplines. In this study, we modified a task exemplifying the sunk cost effect and used it to evaluate this behavior in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The control group exhibited a typical sunk cost effect in our task. We found that the sunk cost effect was lower in the ASD group than in the control group. The results agree with previous evidence of reduced sensitivity to context stimuli in individuals with ASD and extend this finding to the context of the sunk cost effect. Our findings are useful in addressing the practical implications on their socioeconomic behavior.