Material Scarcity and Unethical Economic Behavior: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Christian Truelsen Elbæk, PhD Student, Department of Management 

Abstract: Individuals around the globe experience different forms of material resource scarcity. A growing body of research has investigated how such scarcity affects moral economic behavior. Yet, findings remain mixed. In this talk, I will present results from a pre-registered meta-analysis, in which we evaluate how material resource scarcity affects moral economic behavior. We analyzed a comprehensive dataset including observations from 44 published and unpublished studies comprising a total of 6,921 respondents across four distinct types of material scarcity: financial scarcity, physiological scarcity, scarcity reminders, and lower social class. Our findings show that acute scarcity significantly increases the propensity to engage in unethical economic behavior. Importantly, however, the findings show no evidence that chronic experiences of scarcity in the form of low social class affect unethical economic behavior.

Can beauty help sustainability? The effect of product aesthetics on consumers’ recycling behavior 

Ada Maria Barone, Postdoc, Department of Management 

Abstract: This research investigates how product aesthetics (high vs. low) affects consumers’ likelihood of recycling a product. Specifically, we hypothesize that consumers are more likely to recycle products that are more visually appealing than products that are less visually appealing, because of higher perceptions of product quality associated with highly aesthetic products. Results of two studies support our conceptualization, providing evidence that consumers perceive visually appealing products as having higher quality, which in turn drives likelihood of recycling them. This work contributes to recent research exploring how product characteristics affect consumers’ disposal and recycling decisions (e.g., Trudel and Argo, 2013). Furthermore, it expands prior literature about the beneficial effects of products aesthetics (e.g., Hagtvedt & Patrick, 2008). Finally, it provides useful insights for the development of successful recycling initiatives.

The Other Pathway 

Ole Adrian Heggli, Assistant Professor, Department of Clinical Medicine, Center for Music in the Brain 

Abstract: When performing music together one needs to continuously and reciprocally adjust movements to each other. In simplified joint music making paradigms, such as finger tapping, previous studies consistently show that interacting dyads use different synchronization strategies. These strategies are defined not by measures of synchronization, but rather by the flow of adaptation between interacting people. We have previously identified processes of self-other integration and segregation as the underpinnings of these strategies. In this project we aimed to quantify differences in the neural processing of self- and other-related information in rhythmic joint action. As the COVID19 pandemic is still hindering data collection this presentation will cover the theoretical framework and technical implementation of our experiment.