Sunk Cost Effect in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-018-3679-6
• Publication Date: 2018-07-16T13:53:45Z
• Authors: Junya Fujino; Shisei Tei; Takashi Itahashi; Yuta Aoki; Haruhisa Ohta; Chieko Kanai; Manabu Kubota; Ryu-ichiro Hashimoto; Motoaki Nakamura; Nobumasa Kato; Hidehiko Takahashi
• Keywords: Adult; Male; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Decision Making; 05 social sciences; Middle Aged; 3. Good health; Young Adult; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Case-Control Studies; Humans; Female; 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences

The sunk cost effect, an interesting and well-known decision bias, is pervasive in real life and has been studied in various disciplines. In this study, we modified a task exemplifying the sunk cost effect and used it to evaluate this behavior in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The control group exhibited a typical sunk cost effect in our task. We found that the sunk cost effect was lower in the ASD group than in the control group. The results agree with previous evidence of reduced sensitivity to context stimuli in individuals with ASD and extend this finding to the context of the sunk cost effect. Our findings are useful in addressing the practical implications on their socioeconomic behavior.