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Food Insecurity, Cognitive Control, and Risky Choice

Author

Listed:
  • David L. Dickinson
  • Jacob Norwood

Abstract

Food insecurity affects roughly 18 million people in the United States and 2.3 billion globally. Given its prevalence, this study aims to examine how food insecurity and resulting anxiety affect cognitive control and decision-making. Samples of n=102 food-insecure and n=102 food-secure individuals were recruited from the Prolific online subject pool to complete an incentivized Stroop Task and a Monetary Risk Taking task. Randomized treatment assignments administered either a High or Low Cognitive Load manipulation prior to decision making by prompting participants to consider a more or less expensive unexpected financial expense. While food insecurity did not impact cognitive control and risky choices as hypothesized, it may indirectly affect outcomes via anxiety. And, exploratory analysis of response times data suggest food insecurity may promote some increased risk taking due to less deliberative decision processing. The role of anxiety and its effect on choice process among the food-insecure likely merits further investigation. Key Words: food insecurity, cognitive load, anxiety, risky-choice

Suggested Citation

  • David L. Dickinson & Jacob Norwood, 2026. "Food Insecurity, Cognitive Control, and Risky Choice," Working Papers 26-08, Department of Economics, Appalachian State University.
    • Handle: RePEc:apl:wpaper:26-08
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    File URL: http://econ.appstate.edu/RePEc/pdf/wp2608.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Daniel Kahneman & Amos Tversky, 2013. "Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision Under Risk," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Leonard C MacLean & William T Ziemba (ed.), HANDBOOK OF THE FUNDAMENTALS OF FINANCIAL DECISION MAKING Part I, chapter 6, pages 99-127, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    2. Ernst-Jan Bruijn & Gerrit Antonides, 2022. "Poverty and economic decision making: a review of scarcity theory," Theory and Decision, Springer, vol. 92(1), pages 5-37, February.
    3. David L. Dickinson, 2023. "Political ideology does not predict self-control in Stroop task performance: new evidence using an incentivized task," Journal of the Economic Science Association, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 9(2), pages 319-326, December.
    4. Kip Smith & John Dickhaut & Kevin McCabe & José V. Pardo, 2002. "Neuronal Substrates for Choice Under Ambiguity, Risk, Gains, and Losses," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 48(6), pages 711-718, June.
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D00 - Microeconomics - - General - - - General
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • I30 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General

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