COMPULSIVE BUYING TENDENCIES.

Compulsive buying behavior is typically viewed as pathological, but recent research has shown that compulsive buying tendencies are associated with attitudes toward money, personal financial behavior, and having materialistic values, suggesting that compulsive buyers are manifesting an extreme form of habits shown by people in general. In a study of 240 community residents, scores on the Compulsive Buying Scale were associated positively with scores on the Material Values Scale and the Canadian Problem Gambling Index, and negatively with scores on the Executive Personal Finance Scale and Ardelt's wisdom scale. These results suggest that, as is the case for many abnormal behaviors, tendencies toward compulsive buying may not be pathological, but are associated with attitudes toward money in general, financial management behavior, and materialistic values.

IS THE SUICIDE RATE A RANDOM WALK?

The yearly suicide rates for the period 1933-2010 and the daily suicide numbers for 1990 and 1991 were examined for whether the distribution of difference scores (from year to year and from day to day) fitted a normal distribution, a characteristic of stochastic processes that follow a random walk. If the suicide rate were a random walk, then any disturbance to the suicide rate would have a permanent effect and national suicide prevention efforts would likely fail. The distribution of difference scores from day to day (but not the difference scores from year to year) fitted a normal distribution and, therefore, were consistent with a random walk.

Compulsive buying tendencies and personal finances.

In a community sample of 225 adults, scores on the Compulsive Buying Scale were associated with scores on the subscales of the Executive Personal Finance Scale (rs = -.35 to -.70) and the Money Attitudes Scale (positively with using money for impressing others, and negatively with saving and planning). The results suggested that common tendencies toward compulsive buying may not be pathological, but merely associated with attitudes toward money in general and financial management habits.

Gambling and delaying rewards as a function of current mood.

In a sample of 92 undergraduates, current mood was not associated with choosing to accept a delayed but larger reward or with gambling for a larger reward.

Personality correlates of financial behavior.

In a sample of 98 students, scores for extraversion, neuroticism, psychoticism, and a Lie scale were associated with financial behavior, with Lie subscale scores providing the majority of the significant but weak associations.

Sex differences in online shopping: an exploratory study.

Empirically, predictors of purchasing an item (among 15) online in a sample of 365 undergraduates were dependent upon the sex of the purchaser and the particular item purchased.

Attitudes toward buying online as predictors of shopping online for British and American respondents.

This study compared the attitudes toward online shopping of British and American individuals. Using a sample of 327 British and American university students, the British respondents were found to have less favorable attitudes toward online shopping. Attitudes toward online shopping were found to be significant predictors of making online purchases. The implications of these results were discussed and suggestions made for future research.

Who buys textbooks online: a replication.

In a study of 71 students, computer anxiety and computer/Internet skills predicted whether they purchased textbooks online.

Should suicide prevention programs target individuals or society as a whole?

The issue of whether it is more useful to focus on societal interventions to prevent suicide or individual-centered approaches is discussed. The advantages and drawbacks of each approach are explored.

Buying books online: a replication.

In a replication study, purchasing books online by 137 state college students was predicted by computer/Internet skills.

Attitudes toward online shopping: a follow-up study.

From 2001 to 2005, students showed an increase in the range of purchases made online, and their attitudes toward online shopping became more positive.

A paper-and-pencil measure of prefrontal subcortical dysfunction.

In a large sample of 722 community residents, scores on the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale were significantly associated with age, sex, and education, indicating that scores were higher for men, younger participants, and less educated participants.

Digital access and national character.

A digital access index was associated with measures of national character (such as extraversion and individualism) for 18 industrialized nations, but statistical controls for gross domestic product per capita eliminated these associations.

Who uses eBay? A Preliminary study.

Buying and selling items on eBay was predicted in a sample of 386 undergraduate students from two institutions by computer or Internet skills, year and, for buying items on eBay, sex.

British and American attitudes toward credit cards.

American university students owned more than twice as many credit cards as British university students. However, scores on a credit card attitude scale predicted the number of cards owned by respondents in both countries.

Neurotransmitter-related personality traits and money attitudes: a study in neuroeconomics.

In a sample of 82 undergraduates, the personality dimension of novelty seeking, which has been hypothesized to be influenced by levels of dopamine in the central nervous system, was associated with attitudes regarding money.

Prefrontal cortex dysfunction and income: a study in neuroeconomics.

In four samples of adults, individual income was negatively associated with a measure of prefrontal cortex dysfunction even after implementing controls for age, sex, and education. The small association was stronger for men than for women. These results provide support for a neuroeconomic approach to the study of micro-economic variables.

Depression, anxiety, and personal finance behavior: implications for the classical economic conception of humans as rational decision-makers.

In a sample of 138 college students, the personal finance behaviors of impulse control and organization were negatively associated with the use of recreational drugs and with scores on measures of depression, mania, and anxiety.

Some personality correlates of using eBay.

The use of eBay by 102 American undergraduate students was not associated with competitiveness, locus of control scores, or money attitude scores.

Validating the Executive Personal Finance Scale with Financial Investments and Expectations in University Students.

The validity of the Executive Personal Finance Scale (EPFS) was tested in a sample of 93 undergraduate students (31 men, 62 women; M age = 20.5 years, SD = 1.3, range = 18-24). Scores on the Motivation drive, Organization, and Planning subscales of this scale were associated with having a savings account, owning bank CDs, and self-estimated knowledge about financial matters, while scores on the Impulse control and Motivational drive subscales were associated with expectations for a satisfactory retirement income. The results provide support for the validity of the EPFS.