Strength Of Preference Research Articles

Neonatal nipple preference and maternal cradling laterality in wild Taihangshan macaques (Macaca mulatta tcheliensis).

Lateralized behavior is considered an observable phenotype of cerebral functional asymmetryand has been documented in many mammalian species. In the present study, we examined evidence of lateralization in neonatal nipple contact, maternal cradling, and the relationship between these two behaviors during the first 12 weeks of life in wild Taihangshan macaques (Macaca mulatta tcheliensis). The results showed that across our sample of nine mother-infant dyads: (1) Seven of nine neonates exhibited a significant left-side nipple preference during the first 12 weeks of life, whereas eight of nine mothers displayed a significant right-side cradling preference; (2) at the population level, there was a significant preference for left nipple contact by neonatal Taihangshan macaques and a significant right-hand maternal cradling preference; (3) at the population level, there was a nonsignificant negative correlation between neonatal nipple preference and maternal cradling bias; and (4) the strength of individual neonatal nipple preference and maternal cradling laterality were not correlated. We conclude that asymmetry in nipple contact of Taihangshan macaques occurs early in behavioral development. Given that infant Taihangshan macaques are able to nurse and cling unassisted to their mothers within a few days after birth, it appears that the infant rather than its mother is responsible for determining a nipple-side preference. Our results indicating a left-side nipple bias in 78% of wild neonatal Taihangshan macaques are most consistent with the heartbeat hypothesis.

Within‐population variation in female mating preference affects the opportunity for sexual selection and the evolution of male traits, but things are not as simple as expected

Females from the same population usually have phenotypic variation in their mating preferences. However, the effects of this within-population variation on the sexual selection acting on males are still unclear. We used individual-based models to explore how within-population variation in female preference (i.e. which male trait value is preferred) and preference strength (i.e. how strong the preference is) affects the opportunity for sexual selection (Is ) and the evolution of a sexually selected male trait. We found the highest Is values when females had high variation in preference and an open-ended preference function. The lowest Is occurred when the magnitude of variation in female preference and male trait value were the same and preference function was closed. Male trait exaggeration was higher when there was high within-population variation in preference and females had an open-ended preference function. Also, higher male trait variation was maintained by high variation in preference, but only for a closed preference function. Thus, we found that only within-population variation in female preference, not in preference strength, influences the opportunity for sexual selection and the evolution of sexually selected male traits. Moreover, we found that the shape of the preference function (i.e. open-ended or closed) and the magnitude of within-population variation in female preference compared to male trait variation also influences the Is and consequently the evolution of male traits.

Ear Preference and Interaural Threshold Asymmetry.

To define the relationships among ear preference strength, audiometric interaural asymmetry magnitude, and hearing impairment. Prospective, cross-sectional. Academic audiology clinic. Adults. Diagnostic. Patient-reported ear preference strength using a seven-category preference (no preference; left or right somewhat, strongly, or completely) scheme, hearing disability level on the Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing scale, and audiometric interaural threshold asymmetry were analyzed in three study cohorts: 1) normal hearing (thresholds ≤ 25 dB, n = 66), 2) symmetric hearing loss (any single threshold > 25 dB, n = 81), and 3) asymmetric hearing loss (maximum average interaural threshold difference at any two adjacent frequencies (IThrDmax2)≥ 15 dB, n = 112). Receiver operating characteristic curves for somewhat, strongly, and completely ear preference levels using IThrDmax2 cutoff values at 15, 30, and 45 dB showed good to excellent classifier performance (all curve areas ≥ 0.84). The mapping of ear preference strength to the most likely IThrDmax2 range by odds ratio analysis demonstrated: no preference (< 15 dB), somewhat (15-29 dB), strongly (30-44 dB), and completely (≥ 45 dB). Complete dependence on one ear was associated with the most severe degradation in spatial hearing function. Categorical ratings of ear preference strength may be mapped to ranges of audiometric threshold asymmetry magnitude and spatial hearing disability level. Querying ear preference strength in routine clinical practice would enable practitioners to identify patients with asymmetric hearing more expeditiously and promote timely evaluation and treatment.

Do Workers and Customers Benefit from Competition Between On-Demand Service Platforms?

Problem Definition: We study the impact of competition between two on-demand service platforms on worker welfare and consumer surplus. The platforms compete for both workers and customers by deciding on wages to pay workers and prices to charge customers. Workers, who are heterogeneous in their opportunity costs, are sensitive to both the wage they receive and the amount of work they are allocated. Customers, who are heterogeneous in their preferences for the platforms, are sensitive to both the price and the amount of delay they experience. Academic/Practical Relevance: Competition between on-demand service platforms gives rise to several important questions. How does competition affect wages and prices and does competition necessarily lead to higher wages and lower prices? Does competition make workers busier or does it lead to more worker idleness? More importantly, does competition necessarily lead to higher worker welfare and higher consumer surplus? If not, under what conditions does competition harm either workers or customers? Methodology: We use an equilibrium model to study price-wage strategies of platforms. We compare equilibrium outcomes with and without competition, accounting for worker heterogeneity in terms of opportunity cost and customer heterogeneity in terms of platform preference. Results: We show that competition does not necessarily lead to higher worker welfare and higher consumer surplus. In particular, we show that when the worker pool size is sufficiently large and customer stickiness (the strength of preference of customers for one platform over another) is moderate, both workers and customers are worse off under competition than under monopoly (with workers being busier but earning less, and customers paying more but experiencing more delay). Managerial Implications: We distinguish two forces that explain our results: multi-homing on the worker supply side and market expansion on the customer demand side. Such information could be useful for policy makers and platform managers as they consider the implications of competition between on-demand service platforms on social welfare and profit.

Temperature Is Sufficient to Condition a Flavor Preference for a Cold-Paired Solution in Rats.

Increasing evidence suggests that stimulus temperature modifies taste signaling. However, understanding how temperature modifies taste-driven behavior is difficult to separate as we must first understand how temperature alone modifies behavior. Previous work has suggested that cold water is more rewarding and "satiating" than warm water, and water above orolingual temperature is avoided in brief-access testing. We explored the strength of cold water preference and warm water avoidance by asking: (1) if cold temperature alone was sufficient to condition a flavor preference and (2) if avoidance of warm stimuli is driven by novelty. We addressed these questions using custom-designed equipment that allows us to monitor and maintain solution temperatures. We conducted two-bottle preference tests, after pairing Kool-Aid flavors with 10 or 40 °C. Rats preferred the flavor paired with cold temperature, both while it was cold and for 1 day while solutions were presented at 22 °C. We then examined the role of novelty in avoidance of 40 °C. Rats were maintained on 10, 22, or 40 °C water in their home cage to increase familiarity with the temperatures. Rats were then subject to a series of brief-access taste tests to water or sucrose at 10 to 40 °C. Rats that had 40 °C experience licked more to 40 °C water, but not sucrose, during brief-access testing. In a series of two-bottle preference tests, rats maintained on 40 °C water had a decreased preference for 10 °C water when paired opposite 40 °C water. Together, these data contribute to our understanding of orosensory-driven behavior with water at different temperatures.

Multi-criteria group decision-making approach to the modernization of hold baggage security screening system at an airport

The decisions on the modernization of a hold baggage screening system (HBSS) at an airport require taking into account multiple assessment criteria of the considered variants. These criteria are both objective - precisely quantifiable, and subjective - requiring descriptive assessment by experts. The purpose of this article was to make a multi-criteria assessment of variants of the modernization of the HBSS, considering various points of view of experts and the context of decisions made. Due to the existence of both the criteria described using linguistic variables and those dependent on complex random processes, both fuzzy inference methods and simulation methods based on microscale models were used. The developed method was implemented to assess the modernization variants for Katowice International Airport. The highest score resulting from the group decision-making was obtained by the modernization variant consisting in reducing the number of baggage control levels with the simultaneous increase in the number of people performing manual checks. If we consider a different decision-making process environment, the group's preferred variant changes. For example, for the scenario involving a significant increase in the size of the traffic being handled, the variant of doubling X-ray devices at the first level of control becomes the most advantageous. The change in the group preference, depending on the context of the decision-making situation, clearly indicates that this context must be taken into account in the decision-making process. The proposed method allows one not only to indicate the preferred variant in each scenario but also to numerically determine the strength of preferences for individual variants, which may facilitate making the right decision considering the chances for implementation of individual scenarios.

Using Conjoint Experiments to Analyze Elections: The Essential Role of the Average Marginal Component Effect (AMCE)

Political scientists have increasingly deployed conjoint survey experiments to understand multi-dimensional choices in various settings. We demonstrate that the Average Marginal Component Effect (AMCE) constitutes an aggregation of individual-level preferences that translates into a primary quantity of interest to empirical election scholars: the effect of a change in an attribute on a candidate or party's expected vote share. This property holds irrespective of the heterogeneity, strength, or interactivity of voters' preferences and regardless of how votes are aggregated into seats. Overall, our results indicate the AMCE's central role in understanding elections, a conclusion buttressed by a corresponding literature review. We also provide practical advice on interpreting AMCEs. Finally, we propose, formalize, and evaluate the feasibility of using conjoint data to estimate alternative quantities of interest to electoral studies, including the effect of an attribute on the probability of winning.

Disentangling language from ethnic preferences in the recruitment of domestic workers: A discrete choice experiment

The literature on service encounters rarely disentangles linguistic preferences from their association with customers' ethnic preferences, and rarely studies the selection of the service provider. We analyse the choice of domestic workers in the Brussels urban region, a region characterized by a high degree of ethnic and linguistic heterogeneity. A discrete choice experiment disentangles the linguistic from the ethnic preferences of households with respect to the recruitment of domestic workers before the encounter takes place. Our results show that households attach substantial value to linguistic convergence: they strongly prefer a housekeeper that speaks their home language, while alternative common languages are still preferred over no communication at all. Furthermore, after taking into account linguistic preferences, households still exhibit discriminatory tastes, with clear-cut ethnic preferences. The particular strength of the linguistic preferences is most likely due to the fact that domestic service encounters are recurrent and occur in the personal sphere.

The Pen Is Not Always Mightier: Different Ways of Measuring Handedness With the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory Yield Different Handedness Conclusions

Although consistency of handedness (the strength of dominant hand preference) is increasingly recognized as an important individual difference, there are questions about how to best measure it. A recent meta-analysis showed that researchers have often failed to report details of responses and response formats to handedness test items. In addition to measuring handedness direction (i.e., left versus right handedness), there can be utility to dichotomizing the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (EHI) into consistent and inconsistent dominant handedness, despite controversy over the best means of doing so. In this study, we performed a discriminant function analysis of EHI items to determine which items best predicted handedness consistency versus handedness direction. Although the same discriminant function accounted for most of the variance for both dependent measures, writing and drawing EHI items were the strongest predictors of handedness direction and combing and opening jars items were the strongest predictors of handedness consistency. As different items on the EHI predicted these different handedness dimensions, we discuss the implications of dichotomizing EHI items into both relevant dimensions for both biological and environmental theories of the basis of handedness and for future handedness research.

Treatment Mode Preferences in Psoriatic Arthritis: A Qualitative Multi-Country Study.

ObjectiveQualitative research exploring patient preferences regarding the mode of treatment administration for psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is limited. We report patient preferences and their reasons across PsA treatment modes.MethodsIn this global, cross-sectional, qualitative study, interviews were conducted with adult patients with PsA in Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, and the US. Patients were currently taking a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD). Patients indicated the order and strength of preference (0–100; 100 = strongest) across four modes of treatment administration: oral (once daily), self-injection (weekly), clinic injection (weekly), and infusion (monthly); reasons for preferences were qualitatively assessed. Descriptive statistics were reported. Fisher’s exact tests and t-tests were conducted for treatment mode outcomes.ResultsOverall, 85 patients were interviewed (female, 60.0%; mean age, 49.8 years). First-choice ranking (%) and mean [standard deviation] preference points were: oral (49.4%; 43.9 [31.9]); self-injection (34.1%; 32.4 [24.8]); infusion (15.3%; 14.5 [20.0]); clinic injection (1.2%; 9.2 [10.0]). Of 48 (56.5%) patients with a strong first-choice preference (ie point allocation ≥60), 66.7% chose oral administration. Self-injection was most often selected as second choice (51.8%), clinic injection as third (49.4%), and infusion as fourth (47.1%). Oral administration was the first-choice preference in the US (88.0% vs 38.0% in Europe). The most commonly reported reason for oral administration as the first choice was speed and ease of administration (76.2%); for self-injection, this was convenience (75.9%). The most commonly reported reason for avoiding oral administration was concern about possible drug interactions (63.6%); for self-injection, this was a dislike of needles or the injection process (66.7%).ConclusionPatients with PsA preferred oral treatment administration, followed by self-injection; convenience factors were common reasons for these preferences. Overall, 43.5% of patients did not feel strongly about their first-choice preference and may benefit from discussions with healthcare professionals about PsA treatment administration options.

129-LB: Evaluation of Attitudes towards Two Glucagon Delivery Devices for Rescue Treatment of Severe Hypoglycemia

Objective: This study assessed preference, hesitation using, perceived ease of use, and feeling prepared and protected for nasal glucagon (NG) vs. autoinjector glucagon (AI) for rescue treatment of severe hypoglycemia (SH) among people with diabetes (PWDs), caregivers (CGs) and acquaintances (AQs). Methods: US PWDs (type 1 or 2, on insulin; n=405), CGs (n=313) and AQs (n=305) completed an online survey, after viewing a description of SH and graphics and descriptions of NG and AI (based on publicly available information at the time of study; prior to access to the final commercial device or their instructions for use). Respondents rated strength of preference for NG vs. AI on 16 attributes using direct elicitation (7-point scale; 1 = ‘very strongly prefer AI‘ and 7 = ‘very strongly prefer NG’, 4 = neutral); 4 items focused on overall preference, being less likely to hesitate using, perceived ease of use, and feeling prepared and protected, and 12 items were averaged to create a preference scale (e.g., size of device, less complicated). This measure was developed using established guidelines for instrument development, including qualitative research and assessment of the measure’s psychometric properties. One sample t-tests evaluated whether mean preference ratings differed from a neutral score. Results: Across PWDs, CGs, and AQs, NG was preferred over AI (all P&amp;lt;0.001 compared to neutral) on overall preference (4.5, 4.9, and 5.4, respectively), being less likely to hesitate using (4.8, 5.1, and 5.4, respectively), perceived ease of use (4.8, 5.1, and 5.4, respectively) and the preference scale (4.7, 5.0, and 5.3, respectively). CGs and AQs preferred NG vs. AI on feeling prepared and protected (4.6 and 4.8, respectively; both P&amp;lt;0.001 compared to neutral); PWDs were neutral (4.1, P=0.376). Conclusions: This study provides insights on PWDs’, CGs’ and AQs’ attitudes towards new glucagon devices, which may be considered when making product choices among the glucagon delivery systems. Disclosure S.K. Bajpai: Employee; Self; Eli Lilly and Company. J. Cambron-Mellott: Other Relationship; Self; Eli Lilly and Company. N.K. Raibulet: Employee; Self; Eli Lilly and Company. E.Y. Peck: None. J. Poon: Employee; Self; Eli Lilly and Company. Q. Wang: Employee; Self; Eli Lilly and Company. B. Mitchell: Employee; Self; Eli Lilly and Company. Stock/Shareholder; Self; Eli Lilly and Company. O. Will: Other Relationship; Self; Eli Lilly and Company. J. Babrowicz: Other Relationship; Self; Eli Lilly and Company. C.J. Child: Employee; Self; Eli Lilly and Company. Stock/Shareholder; Self; Eli Lilly and Company. K. Beusterien: Other Relationship; Self; Eli Lilly and Company.

Son Preference and Fertility Decisions: Evidence From Spatiotemporal Variation in Korea.

Using Korean data, this study investigates whether son-favoring ideas or the preference for sons affect fertility decisions. Son-favoring fertility behavior in Korea is of interest because the sex ratio at birth has recovered to a natural level after having been very skewed. To isolate the effects of the preference for sons from the effects of the surrounding environment, we compare the fertility behavior of individuals living in the same region but who were born in different regions or years. Exploiting the male-female gap in educational achievement at the parents' time and place of birth as exogenous variation in the 2000 Census Korea 2% sample, we find that the strength of son preference formed at an early age is associated with the strength of son-favoring fertility behavior as adults. Our results indicate that parents are more likely to have a third child if they happen to have only daughters as their first two children. More importantly, this tendency is stronger if parents were born in a spatiotemporal region with more skewed gender gap in educational investment. These findings are robust against various alternative specifications, including endogenous migration issues.

The relationship between problem-solving ability and laterality in cats

The association between hemispheric asymmetries and cognitive ability is one of the key areas of comparative laterality research. In several animal species, individual limb preferences correlate with perceptual, cognitive, or motor abilities, possibly by increasing dexterity of one limb and minimizing response conflicts between hemispheres. Despite this wealth of research, the association between laterality and cognitive abilities in the cat (Felis catus) is not well understood. Therefore, it was the aim of the present study to investigate the relationship between laterality and problem-solving ability in cats. To this end, strength and direction of paw preferences in 41 cats were measured using two novel food reaching tasks in which the animals needed to open a lid in order to reach the food reward. We found that cats that showed a clear preference for one paw were able to open more lids succesfully than ambilateral animals. Moreover, cats that preferred to interact with the test apparatus with their paw from the beginning, opened more lids than cats the first tried to interact with the test apparatus using their heads. Results also suggested a predictive validity of the first paw usage for general paw usage. It was also shown that the cats’ individual paw preferences were stable and task-independent. These results yield further support to the idea that lateralization may enhance cognitive abilities.

Platform Preannouncement Strategies: The Strategic Role of Information in Two-Sided Markets Competition

The release of a new platform version is often preceded by prelaunch activities including a preannouncement of new features, improvements, and other innovations. The information contained within these preannouncements not only shape expectations of distinct but connected sides, for example, users and developers in a video game platform, but also informs a rival platform in a competitive market. Through a game-theoretic analysis of three different preannouncement strategies (formal, informal, and no-preannouncement) in a duopoly, our research furthers the understanding of externality-related information on expectation formation and the associated competitive dynamics. The literature on the role of information in platform competition is limited, and as the first to model the use of this information (through preannouncements) as a strategic lever, we characterize the firms’ equilibrium preannouncement strategies under different market conditions including when agents have an option to switch and/or the ability to multihome. Our findings show a clear relationship between the equilibrium preannouncement strategies and agents’ strength of taste preferences. In markets with weak preferences, firms pursue a no-preannouncement strategy in equilibrium to a formal preannouncement strategy where users and developers have strong taste preferences. Overall, our welfare analyses reveal that in a competitive market, firms will prefer not to preannounce their platform features even if preannouncement may increase expected network effects. Consumer and social welfare are both higher in multihoming markets than in single-homing ones. This paper was accepted by Chris Forman, information systems.

Patients' and gynecologists' views on sentinel lymph node mapping in low- and intermediate-risk endometrial cancer: a Dutch vignette study

ObjectiveSentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping in endometrial cancer is gaining ground. However, patient views on this new technique are unknown. The aim of this study was to determine factors important...

Preference for saline water of an amphidromous goby maintained during migration to upstream freshwater areas.

This study aimed to reveal the salinity preference of juveniles of an amphidromous goby, Sumi-ukigori Gymnogobius petschiliensis, while migrating to a freshwater area. Salinity choice experiments revealed that juveniles of this species significantly prefer brackish water (salinity 20) to freshwater (salinity 0) when acclimated to a salinity of 20 in advance. Additional experiments revealed no preference between brackish water and seawater (salinity 35). Since body size was not correlated with the strength of preference for brackish water, and adults of this species are also known to prefer brackish water at a salinity of 20 to freshwater, the preference for saline water may be consistent after migration to a freshwater area. Considering that juvenile G. petschiliensis would often migrate to freshwater areas just after entering streams, the migration should be against its salinity preference. This directly contrasts with other diadromous species, which prefer the salinity of destination areas during and after migration. Adult and juvenile G. petschiliensis may take advantage of high euryhalinity to choose habitats where such ecological costs, such as high predation risk and interspecific competition, are low (i.e., freshwater areas).

User preferences and strategic interactions in platform ecosystems

AbstractResearch summaryUser demand affects the emergence and growth of platform ecosystems through indirect network effects. But how do these effects play out in the strategies of platform providers and complementors as the ecosystem evolves? We study how user preferences for ecosystem innovativeness (complement novelty and quality) and ecosystem size (number of complementors/complements), and demand‐based economies of scale, shape the strategic interactions between the platform provider and the complementors in the ecosystem. Using an analytical model, we identify the conditions that give rise to a trade‐off between ecosystem innovativeness and size; when (and why) this trade‐off generates a tension between value co‐creation and appropriation among ecosystem participants; and the strategic implications for ecosystem competitiveness and for the different stages of the ecosystem's evolution.Managerial summaryManaging complementors’ incentives is critical for the success of a platform ecosystem. Such incentives may be offered not only for joining the platform, but also for contributing high‐quality, innovative complements throughout the ecosystem's evolution. In this article, we show that demand‐side economies of scale are the driving force of complementors’ incentives, and hence the key success factor for platform strategies. The strength of user preferences ultimately determines whether a larger ecosystem can also be more innovative, in which case all ecosystem participants can gain; or if instead there is a trade‐off between size and innovativeness, which could also lead to a tension between value co‐creation and appropriation among the platform provider and its complementors. The different stages of the evolution of a platform ecosystem call for different strategies that adapt to the evolution of user preferences.

Internet-based psychodynamic therapy vs cognitive behavioural therapy for social anxiety disorder: A preference study

ObjectiveBoth Internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (ICBT) and Internet-delivered psychodynamic psychotherapy (IPDT) have shown promise in the treatment of social anxiety disorder (SAD). However, little is known about client preferences and what predicts treatment outcome. The objective of the present pilot study was to examine preference for ICBT versus IPDT in the treatment of SAD and whether participants' preference strength and therapeutic alliance predicted treatment response. Further, we also investigated the effect of the two treatments, including 6-months follow-up. MethodThirty-six participants were instructed to choose between either IPDT or ICBT based on a brief description. Both treatments were 10 weeks long. Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale – Self Report was used as the primary outcome measure. ResultsIPDT (N = 23; 63.9%) was preferred more often than ICBT (N = 13; 36.1%), but the difference did not reach statistical significance (p = .10). Preference strength did not predict the treatment effect but therapeutic alliance did. The observed within-group effects for the treatment period were d = 0.40 [−0.21, 0.99] for the IPDT group and d = 0.53 [−0.29, 1.31] for the ICBT group. An intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis revealed no significant difference between the two treatments on any outcome measure at either post-treatment or at six months follow-up. ConclusionThe present pilot study did not find a difference in preference for IPDT or ICBT in the treatment of SAD and both treatments resulted in small to moderate improvements in symptoms of SAD. Preference strength might not predict treatment effect, but this needs to be tested in larger studies.

Partnerships in Urban Mobility: Incentive Mechanisms for Improving Public Transit Adoption

Problem Definition: Due to a prolonged decline in public transit ridership over the last decade, transit agencies across the United States are in financial crisis. To entice commuters to travel by public transit instead of driving personal vehicles, municipal governments must address the ``last mile'' problem by providing convenient and affordable transportation between a commuter's home and a transit station. This challenge raises an important question: Is there a cost-effective mechanism that can improve public transit adoption by solving the last mile problem? Academic / Practical Relevance: In this paper, we present and analyze two incentive mechanisms for increasing commuter adoption of public transit. In a direct mechanism, the government provides a subsidy to commuters who adopt a ``mixed mode, which involves taking public transit and hailing rides to/from a transit station. The government funds the subsidy by imposing congestion fees on personal vehicles entering the city center. In an indirect mechanism, instead of levying congestion fees, the government secures funding for the subsidy from the private sector. We examine the implications of both mechanisms on relevant stakeholders. These two mechanisms are especially relevant because several jurisdictions in the U.S. have begun piloting incentive programs in which commuters receive subsidies for ride-hailing trips that begin or end at a transit station. Methodology: We present a game-theoretic model to capture the strategic interactions among five self-interested stakeholders (commuters, public transit agency, ride-hailing platform, municipal government, and local private enterprises). Results: By examining equilibrium outcomes, we obtain three key findings. First, we characterize how the optimal interventions associated with the direct or the indirect mechanism depend on: (a) the coverage level of the public transit network; (b) the public transit adoption target; and (c) the relative strength of commuter preferences between driving and taking public transit. Second, we show that the direct mechanism cannot be budget neutral without undermining commuter welfare. However, when the public transit adoption target is not too aggressive, we find that the indirect mechanism is budget neutral, and it can increase both commuter welfare and sales to the private sector partner. Finally, we show that, although the indirect mechanism restricts the scope of government intervention (by eliminating the congestion fee), it can dominate the direct mechanism by leaving all stakeholders better off, especially when the adoption target is modest. Managerial Implications: Our findings offer cost-effective prescriptions for improving urban mobility and public transit ridership.

The 9-point hedonic scale: Using R-Index Preference Measurement to compute effect size and eliminate artifactual ties

214 consumers used the verbal 9-point hedonic scale to assess 4 types of flavor coated peanuts and 4 types of flavored teas. They used the traditional ANOVA/LSD analysis to provide mean values derived from the 9-point hedonic scale along with measures of significant difference. However, these data did not provide effect sizes. They did not give direct measures of the strength of preference between the various products, which was the main interest. Accordingly, effect sizes were computed. For this, each consumer had also ranked their preferences as they made their ratings on the 9-point hedonic scale. From these, R-Index values were computed to provide the percentages of consumers, who preferred each product to every other product. These direct measures of effect size completed the analysis begun by the ANOVA analysis of the set of mean scores. Also, the measures were nonparametric and avoided issues of the validity of a parametric statistical analysis. They also avoided the problem with the traditional analysis when products in the same scale category are attributed the same scores, when they are not equally liked. Experiment 2, using 207 consumers indicated that this problem was only serious enough to reduce the power of the traditional analysis, compared with the R-Index Preference Measurement, when the number of products being tested approached a dozen say, for product optimization.