Abstract:

Bar-Hillel and Neter (1996) found that although people are willing to trade identical objects, they are reluctant to trade identical lottery tickets. Is this simply due to the fact that these are gambles? It was found that if the value of the tickets is guaranteed to be ex-post, not just ex ante, identical, people are more willing to exchange them. Indeed, just the possibility of ex-post difference between the lottery tickets induces as much reluctance to exchange them as when ex-post difference is guaranteed. In addition, this study examines how the vividness of lottery tickets influences the willingness to trade them. Specifically, it examines whether people are equally reluctant to exchange lottery tickets (when given a bonus for doing so) when they cannot even distinguish between them (e.g., when the tickets are concealed in envelopes). When one cannot see the ticket, it is less vivid and it is harder to imagine it winning. Indeed, it was found that people are more willing to exchange when they cannot distinguish between the tickets than when they can.In 2011, a revised version of this paper was published under the title To trade or not to trade:  The moderating role of vividness when exchanging gambles in Judgment and Decision Making, 6, 147-155.  In the link todp341, it follows the original manuscript. 

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