Choice Constraints Research Articles

The temporal dynamics of task processing and choice in a novel multitasking paradigm.

This study investigated the temporal dynamics of task performance and voluntary task choice within a multitasking paradigm in which the task-related processing outcomes themselves determined the to-be-performed task. In the novel forced-no-go trials, the stimulus for one task required an overt response, but the stimulus for the other task was associated with a no-go response. Task performance results showed that participants often processed the no-go task's stimulus before switching to the go-task. Dual-task interference effects and switch costs indicated various forms of multitasking interference, with their underlying causes appearing to overlap, as engagement in parallel processing seemed to be limited by switch-related reconfiguration processes. Intermixing free-choice trials, where both stimuli were associated with overt responses, revealed costs associated with switching between processing modes, providing new evidence that the distinctions between free and forced task goals stem from differences in their internal representations rather than alterations in processing due to different presentations in the environment. Task choice results align with this perspective, demonstrating a preference for repeating a free- over a forced-choice task. Furthermore, these free-choice results illuminate the interplay of cognitive (task-repetition bias) and environmental constraints (first-task bias) in shaping task choices: It appears that task-specific information increases goal activations for both task goals concurrently, with participants favoring central processing of the second- over the first-presented task to optimize their behavior when shorter central processing is required (task repetition). Overall, this study offers new insights into the dynamics of task processing and choice in environments requiring the balance of multiple tasks.

AN ANALYSIS OF FACTORS INFLUENCING INTRA-MAJOR SPECIALIZATION CHOICE AMONG SECOND-YEAR WOMEN ENGINEERING STUDENTS

Background: While extensive research has analyzed how engineering students select majors, less is known about how students choose to specialize within their majors (i.e., intra-major specialization), which may have implications for student career decisions and outcomes. Further, understanding intramajor specialization may be particularly important for shedding light on the chronic underrepresentation of women in engineering. Purpose: This study sought to understand factors that influence women students' decisions to specialize within their engineering disciplines early in their undergraduate careers. Design/Method: A comparative case study design included three engineering majors with varying program requirements and representation of women. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 39 participants-30 second-year women students and nine faculty/staff. Thematic analysis, informed by social cognitive career theory, was used to identify factors that influence specialization decisions. Results: The analysis identified four main factors influencing intra-major specialization decisions: (1) interests shaped by curricular and extracurricular activities, (2) program structural choice constraints, (3) perceived fit with post-graduation career plans, and (4) peer influence. Conclusions: In light of the potential impact of intra-major specialization decisions on student career decisions, the factors related to specialization choice identified here should be considered by educators and advisors in developing engineering curricula and program structure. Moreover, future research should explore whether these factors change over time and how they impact career decisions.

Maternal investment in arranged and self-choice marriages: A test of the reproductive compensation and differential allocation hypothesis in humans

The Reproductive Compensation (RC) hypothesis and the Differential Allocation (DA) hypothesis predict that parents who mate under constraint will either increase or decrease, respectively, their reproductive effort and investment in offspring. One possible type of mate choice constraint in humans is arranged marriage in which parents or others choose mates. To test the RC and DA hypotheses in humans, we examine whether there are differences in parental investment between women in arranged marriages and those in self-choice marriages using data from the Indonesian Family Life Survey (n = 8393). Marriage type does not significantly correlate with parental investment except for fertility outcomes where women in self-choice marriages had more live births, living children, and greater marital fertility than woman in arranged marriages. Our findings better support the DA hypothesis than the RC hypothesis. We conclude that, like many other species, free mate choice is associated with increased reproductive success in this sample of humans.

A Study on the Service Choice Constraints for Personal Assistance Service - Focusing on the Service Utilization Patterns of Parents of Children with Developmental Disabilities -

A Study on the Service Choice Constraints for Personal Assistance Service - Focusing on the Service Utilization Patterns of Parents of Children with Developmental Disabilities -

‘I know what I should be feeding my child’: foodways of primary caregivers of Child Support Grant recipients in South Africa

ABSTRACT Background Despite South Africa being an upper middle-income country producing enough food to sustain its population, and having an advanced social welfare system, it has high levels of food insecurity at the household-level. Food insecurity is linked to malnutrition and undernutrition in children. This manuscript addresses gaps in knowledge about food choices and practices of primary caregivers of children in receipt of South Africa’s largest cash transfer programme, the Child Support Grant (CSG). Objective The main objective of the study was to explore CSG caregivers’ foodways and the choices they made about what food to buy, where to buy it and for what reasons, in Langa in the Western Cape and Mt Frere in the Eastern Cape. Methods We conducted a total of 40 in-depth interviews and 5 focus group discussions with primary caregivers of Child Support Grant recipients younger than 5 years in the Eastern and Western Cape provinces. Results Caregivers’ food choices were less influenced by cultural practices and personal preferences, than by financial and physical constraints in terms of what and where to access food. Constraints in food choices were chiefly a consequence of the small amount of the grant, as well as a food environment that only availed foods of a certain quality and type in these low-income communities Conclusions The foodways of recipients of social assistance can only be better aligned with nutrition messaging and policy if there are changes in the monetary value of cash transfers, and the food environments of low-income households which determine access to, availability and affordability of nutritious food. Local informal food enterprises play an important role in the food system of CSG recipients and need to be considered in any strategies that seek to reform the food system of low-income communities in South Africa and similar settings

Probability Weighting and Cognitive Ability

Probability weighting is a major concept for accommodating systematic departures from expected utility theory. We examine the relation between probability weighting and cognitive ability with two experiments: one recruiting subjects with a large variation in cognitive ability and the other using the within-subject manipulation of time constraints in lottery choices and cognitive tests. We find a significant association between likelihood insensitivity—the cognitive component of probability weighting—and cognitive limitation such that subjects with a lower cognitive score or more interrupted cognition due to time pressure respond less discriminately to intermediate probabilities and more over-sensitively to extreme probabilities. Our findings shed light on the sources of anomalous choices against expected utility theory. This paper was accepted by Yan Chen, behavioral economics and decision analysis.

Choice of certification schemes by smallholder pineapple farmers in Ghana: analysis of constraints and determinants of adoption

PurposeThe main purpose of this study was to assess constraints and determinants of pineapple farmers' choice of certification schemes in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachA multistage sampling method was used to solicit data from 345 pineapple farmers from Eastern and Central regions of Ghana. Analytical techniques including descriptive statistics, four-point Likert scale index and multinomial logistic regression model (MNL) were used to analyze the data.FindingsThe four-point scale index shows that high renewal fee for certification schemes is the most important constraint facing certified farmers before high labor cost of production. The MNL model shows that both off-farm income and age negatively influenced farmers' choice of GlobalG.A.P scheme. However, household size had significant positive influence on farmers' choice of GlobalG.A.P and Organic schemes. Likewise, formal education had significant positive relationship with the choice of Fairtrade and Organic certification schemes while farming experience positively influenced organic scheme choice. On the other hand, premium price and extension services positively influenced the likelihood of choosing all the three certification schemes. Lastly, regional dummy only negatively influences the choice of organic certification schemes.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to the literature on certification schemes adopted by smallholder by analyzing the determinants and constraints of choice of scheme(s).Originality/valueThe study brings to bear the issues confronting smallholder pineapple farmers in the employment of certification schemes in developing countries, specifically Ghana.

ASP (): Answer Set Programming with Algebraic Constraints

AbstractWeighted Logic is a powerful tool for the specification of calculations over semirings that depend on qualitative information. Using a novel combination of Weighted Logic and Here-and-There (HT) Logic, in which this dependence is based on intuitionistic grounds, we introduce Answer Set Programming with Algebraic Constraints (ASP($\mathcal A \mathcal C$)), where rules may contain constraints that compare semiring values to weighted formula evaluations. Such constraints provide streamlined access to a manifold of constructs available in ASP, like aggregates, choice constraints, and arithmetic operators. They extend some of them and provide a generic framework for defining programs with algebraic computation, which can be fruitfully used e.g. for provenance semantics of datalog programs. While undecidable in general, expressive fragments of ASP($\mathcal A \mathcal C$) can be exploited for effective problem solving in a rich framework.

School supply constraints in track choices: A French study using high school openings

We study the effect of opening a new high school on individual schooling decisions at the end of lower secondary education. The working sample covers all ninth graders between 2007–2008 and 2012–2013 in France. The two-way fixed-effect estimation strategy uses variation in time and space to estimate the causal effect of an increase in school supply. Opening a new high school significantly increases the probability of pupils from neighboring middle schools continuing in higher secondary education. The effect is exclusively due to new high schools proposing a vocational track. Furthermore, the effect is mainly driven by low-achieving students.

Immigrant Entrepreneurship: The Effect of Early Career Immigration Constraints and Job-Education Match on Science and Engineering Workforce

We develop a theoretically grounded framework to explain the stylized fact that immigrants launch a disproportionate number of startups in high technology industries. We examine how immigration-related institutional constraints in the US shape early career choices of immigrants, with subsequent influences on the probability of transitioning into entrepreneurship, while accounting for (un-)observed differences in preferences and human capital between natives and immigrants. These constraints limit early career entrepreneurship and deflect individuals into jobs closely matched to their education in their initial organizational affiliation. While extant theory and empirical work indicates “job-education match” is negatively related to transitions into entrepreneurship, our framework suggests constraints imposed by the immigration system, coupled with key differences among immigrants and natives, may reverse this relationship. We utilize the National Science Foundation’s Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System (SESTAT) to examine the careers of science and engineering graduates from U.S. universities. Our results indicate immigrant work constraints result in organizational affiliations that help develop focused human capital in early career stages. When coupled with (un)observable differences of immigrants relative to natives that manifest in lower opportunity costs (of forgoing paid-employment), job-education match results in higher likelihood to transition to entrepreneurship when work constraints are released — an effect entirely driven by their founding of incorporated firms with larger employment size at entry. We discuss our study’s contributions to theory, practice, and policy.

Translation quality assessment: a critical methodological review

ABSTRACT Translation quality assessment (TQA) represents one of the most productive lines of research in Translation Studies (TS), with scholars proposing different TQA models. In parallel to these theoretical models is the emergence of a diverse array of assessment methods trialled and used to evaluate translation quality in different settings (e.g., error analysis, corpus-based evaluation, rubric scoring, calibration of dichotomous items, Thurstonian comparative judgement). Despite these developments, it seems that little effort has been made to bring to the fore methodological aspects of the TQA practices. Against this background, this methodological review sets out to track the developmental trend of the TQA methods, hoping to bring clarity to the nature of the methodological pluralism, driving forces behind methodological evolution, as well as promises and constraints of each methodological choice. The review also attempts to interrogate the TQA practices, focusing on three overarching issues of reliability, validity and practicality. By doing so, we hope to highlight their merits and demerits, and occasionally challenge their legitimacy. Finally, the review describes some gaps in TQA practice and research, and suggests potential directions to move forward the enterprise of TQA.

Finding a place to live in the city: analyzing residential choice in Kampala

ABSTRACT People are constantly moving to and within Kampala, Uganda. When choosing a place to settle, they have to find a balance between several housing preferences and constraints imposed by their socio-economic situation. Moreover, their options might be limited because of the city’s urban fabric: their housing preferences might not be available at their preferred location. This article analyzes the influence of households’ socio-economic situations on residential preferences and how these preferences interact with the existing morphology of the city, based on data from 2,058 surveys in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area collected in 2018. Using regression and spatial clustering analysis, results show that certain socio-economic factors such as household composition, education level, and traveling by private car are good predictors of revealed preferences regarding housing attributes. Responding households consider relational location (measured as travel time or distance to work/education) more than distance to the city center. Furthermore, while housing attributes showed clear patterns of spatial clustering, this was much less the case for household attributes. An uneven distribution of housing options together with residential choice constraints do not seem to limit households’ equitable access to Kampala, although more research at a finer geography and over time is recommended to capture the dynamics.

Nasal prosthesis after partial rhinectomy. A case report.

Maxillofacial defects can result from several reasons, including neoplasia, congenital malformations, trauma, oral infections, etc. This kind of defects can be severely debilitating to the patients. To improve the quality of life of these patients, the options include surgical reconstruction and maxillofacial prosthesis. However, surgical approaches have many inherent disadvantages and limitations. This case report describes the prosthetic rehabilitation of a female patient who underwent partial rhinectomy secondary to basal cell carcinoma. The case was planned with a silicone prosthesis with anatomic and spectacle retention. A non-surgical method of rehabilitation was followed owing to the patient’s choice and financial constraints. The final prosthesis was aimed at enhancing the esthetics and function of the patient, thereby improving her quality of life.

A semi-compensatory choice model with probabilistic choice set: combining implicit choice set within probabilistic choice set formation

The standard random utility model assumes a fully rational and compensatory choice behaviour. However, various research studies have proven that non-compensatory /semi-compensatory choice behaviour is more realistic. This paper proposes a semi-compensatory framework for the discrete choice model that combines probabilistic choice set formation along with implicit choice constraints in choice making. It combines the Independent Availability Logit (IAL) with Implicit Constrained Multinomial Logit model (CMNL). The model is applied to investigate the mode choice behaviour of the Ottawa-Gatineau regions of Canada’s capital by using the household travel survey data. The explanatory power and elasticity measures of the proposed model are compared with IAL and MNL models. It is found that the IAL-CMNL model outperforms both IAL and MNL models and can reproduce the choice set formation process more effectively. The empirical investigation shows that the IAL-CMNL model results in relatively higher tolerance and softer constraints for cut-off violations compared to the IAL model. Elasticity calculations and outcomes of this research highlight the importance of capturing choice set formation and constrained choice behaviour in the choice modelling.

The Constraints of Choice: Secular Sensibilities, Pious Critique, and an Islamic Ethic of Sisterhood in France

Muslim women in France engage with moral language of choice, freedom, and rights in a way that offers a framework for the intensification rather than the dilution of pious aspirations. At the same time, the centrality of choice in French state discourses pertaining to Muslim women over-determines the language of choice, freedom, and rights through association with political secularism. Against the background of the valorization of gender mixing (mixité) in state discourses, all-female Islamic social settings reconfigure gender separation (non-mixité) through a pious ethos of rights, freedoms, and personal development that makes up part of the “assemblage” of secularity in the French context, even as these settings are opposed to political secularism.

Wicked Problems of Smart Cities

It is often uncritically assumed that, when digital technologies are integrated into the operation of city functions, they inevitably contribute to sustainable urban development. Such a notion rests largely on the belief that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solutions pave the way for more democratic forms of planning, and that ‘smart’ technological devices result in a range of environmental benefits, e.g., energy efficiency and the mitigation of global warming. Drawing on the scientific literature that deals with ‘smart cities’, we here elaborate on how both propositions fail to consider drawbacks that could be characterized as ‘wicked’, i.e., problems that lack simplistic solutions and straightforward planning responses, and which often come about as ‘management surprises’, as a byproduct of achieving sustainability. We here deal with problems related to public choice constraints, ‘non-choice default technologies’ and the costs of automation for human learning and resilience. To avoid undemocratic forms of planning and too strong a dependence on non-choice default technologies, e.g., smart phones, we recommend that planners and policy makers safeguard redundancy in public-choice options by maintaining a wide range of alternative choices, including analog ones. Resilience thinking could help planners deal more effectively with the ‘wickedness’ of an increasingly hyper-connected society.

A comprehensive empirical demonstration of the impact of choice constraints on solving generalizations of the 0–1 knapsack problem using the integer programming option of CPLEX®

This paper provides comprehensive empirical and analytical evidence of the impact of choice constraints on two important categories of knapsack problems by using the integer programming option of CPLEX®. Specifically, if choice constraints are added to the 270 multidimensional knapsack problems (MKPs) in Beasley's OR-Library (used widely for comparing MKP heuristics), then the time needed to solve these problems with CPLEX® version 12 is reduced by more than 99.97%. Similar results are demonstrated for the 810 multi-demand multidimensional knapsack problems (MDMKPs) in Beasley's OR-Library. Additionally, using these 270 MKP and 810 MDMKP problem instances, it is shown that even if only some of the variables have choice constraints imposed on them, the CPLEX solution times are drastically reduced. These results provide motivation for operations research practitioners to check whether choice constraints are applicable (even if only on some of the variables) when solving real-world problems involving generalizations of the 0–1 knapsack problem.

More individual choice? Students’ share in decision-making at the transition to high school in Japan (1995-2009)

ABSTRACTAccording to sociological rational choice theory, students’ class-specific educational decisions at key transition points significantly contribute to educational and social inequalities. Yet, while theory missed to clearly accentuate all relevant actors’ influences on students’ decisions, research generally failed to adequately empirically account for students’ individual share in such decisions, but attributed their choices to family background and academic achievement. Drawing on the Japanese case, a refined rational choice model reflecting multiple (f)actors’ influence on students’ decision-making is introduced, before new evidence on students’ actual share in high school choice since the 1990s is presented. Comparative multinomial regressions show the following main findings: (1) Students with concrete educational plans decisively impact their high school choice even when controlling for family background and academic achievement. Students thus clearly impact their own educational pathways and whether inequalitites are reproduced. (2) In spite of the recent policy shift towards more individual choice, students’ own educational plans have not become considerably more influential for their final high school placement in 2009 compared to 1995, implying similar constraints for individual choice still. Academic achievement remains decisive for school choice in Japan, as juku have taken over former functions of placement counselling.

Opportunity Cost Overestimation

Consumers often fail to utilize desirable offers they had originally selected and planned to use and thus later regret missing out on them. This failure to follow through induces an opportunity cost. In contrast to prior research findings that opportunity costs tend to be underestimated, the authors propose that in situations where the need to choose arises from external rather than internal constraints, opportunity costs may actually be overestimated. Consumers view choice constraints as external when the necessity to trade off one option for another relates to extraneous resource limitations (e.g., whenever time, budget, or space constraints necessitate choosing between two desirable offers). Conversely, consumers perceive choice constraints as internal when that trade-off is “built-in” (e.g., when a marketing incentive requires choosing between two desirable offers). Five studies demonstrate that choosing on the basis of an external constraint induces consumers to imagine ways in which they can utilize all of the competing options in the choice set. Consequently, consumers feel that by failing to utilize their chosen option, they simultaneously miss out on all options (although in actuality they could have realized only one of those options). Consistent with this conceptualization, only consumers who want to use all of the choice set options simultaneously demonstrate opportunity cost overestimation.

Success Factors for Product Innovation in China’s Manufacturing Sector: Strategic Choice and Environment Constraints

This study examines what factors contribute to firm innovation performance as a result of successful launch of new products in China. Rather than simply applying theories of product innovation often developed in the West, this study takes an indigenous perspective to explore what product strategies and which environment factors, defined by Chinese managers, contribute to the improved firm performance. With the data of Chinese firms from over 40 cities across the country, this study surveys more than 700 manufacturing firms that have introduced new products to the market. The result shows that while a defensive product strategy is negatively related to a firm’s patent application, a prospector strategy helps increase its market share in China. In addition, innovation policy and total R&D investment drive a firm to sell more products overseas and increase its new product sales across the globe. Local talent market can also help improve a firm’s patent application but often drive the firm to focus more on domestic markets. Implications of the results for theory and practice are discussed.