The effect of limited availability on children’s consumption, engagement, and choice behavior

• Main Authors: Michal Maimaran, Yuval Salant
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Society for Judgment and Decision Making 2019-01-01
• Series: Judgment and Decision Making
• Subjects: children; limited availability; scarcity; choice; consumption; engagement; healthy eatingNAKeywords
• Online Access: http://journal.sjdm.org/18/18831a/jdm18831a.pdf
• ISSN: 1930-2975

Three studies examine the effect of limited availability on the engagement, consumption, and choice behavior of four- to five-year old children. It is shown that children engage longer in an activity when the activity is presented as limited in time and consume more of a particular food when the food is presented as limited in quantity. It is also shown that the consumption ratio of a less preferred food to a more preferred one increases when the less preferred food is presented as limited in quantity. Finally, children are more likely to choose a less preferred option over a more preferred one when the less preferred option becomes less available.