Abstract
Subjective experiences of resource scarcity can make individuals short-term oriented, capture attention, and trigger feelings of unfairness. However, the impact of scarcity on information processing and ethical decision-making remains poorly understood. This eye-tracking study explored how acute financial scarcity affects selective information search and ethical decision-making in an economic task with competing incentives (N?=?60, 12,000 observations). Results revealed that participants experiencing financial scarcity displayed a strong attentional bias towards financially tempting information, although they ultimately did not behave more unethically. These findings might reveal a ?moral boundary? dictating when attentional biases translate into decision-making. Our results contribute to understanding how individuals in scarcity contexts process and prioritize information in ethical decision-making, helping organizations and policymakers combat stereotypes surrounding resource-deprived individuals, and design evidence-based policy interventions promoting ethical behavior in financially scarce situations.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e2402 |
| Journal | Journal of Behavioral Decision Making |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue | 4 |
| ISSN | 0894-3257 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 2024 |
Keywords
- attentional bias
- dishonesty
- ethical blind spots
- eye-tracking
- scarcity