Economics, work and decisions · 1 min read
When job search cost less, people searched more; a message made them set a higher minimum
In a simulated job search, lower costs led to more effort and more pay per round. With a message, the minimum accepted was higher.
The study, in plain language
In the online task, people searched for vacancies over several rounds, decided how much effort to put in, and set the minimum wage they would accept. Researchers tested two supports: lowering search costs and showing a message about preferences for immediate rewards.
With lower costs, participants searched more and earned more in the task. With a message, their minimum acceptable wage was higher. When the two messages were combined, no decline in the minimum from one round to the next was detected.
The key idea
In this simulation, search cost and a message affected different choices: how much people searched and the minimum they demanded.
Something to think about
When you search for something, like a job or an apartment, what determines when you accept an offer: the cost of continuing to search or the minimum you set beforehand?
The original study
Alleviating behavioral biases at job search: Do nudges work?
Source under CC BY 4.0. English adaptation and explanation by PaperFlow, with AI assistance. The text has been reorganized for a general audience; it is not the complete paper and does not imply endorsement by its authors.
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