The Effect of Providing Peer Information on Retirement Savings Decisions

We conducted a field experiment in a 401(k) plan to measure the effect of disseminating information about peer behavior on savings. Low-saving employees received simplified plan enrollment or contribution increase forms. A randomized subset of forms stated the fraction of age-matched coworkers participating in the plan or age-matched participants contributing at least 6% of pay to the plan. We document an oppositional reaction: the presence of peer information decreased the savings of non-participants who were ineligible for 401(k) automatic enrollment, and higher observed peer savings rates also decreased savings. Discouragement from upward social comparisons seems to drive this reaction.

Following through on Good Intentions: The Power of Planning Prompts

We study whether prompts to form and recall a plan can increase individuals’ responsiveness to reminders to make and attend beneficial appointments. At four companies, all employees due for a colonoscopy were randomly assigned to receive either a control mailing or a treatment mailing. The mailings were identical except that the control mailing included a blank sticky note while the treatment mailing included a sticky note that prompted the recipient to write down the appointment date for a colonoscopy and the name of the doctor who would conduct the procedure. During the seven-month follow-up period, 7.2% of treatment employees received a colonoscopy compared to 6.2% of control employees, a statistically significant difference that is roughly equal to the variation in compliance associated with a 10 percent increase in the fraction of the procedure’s cost covered by insurance. The treatment effect was largest for demographic groups judged to be at the highest risk of failing to receive a colonoscopy due to forgetfulness

The Effect of Providing Peer Information on Retirement Savings Decisions

Using a field experiment in a 401(k) plan, we measure the effect of disseminating information about peer behavior on savings. Low-saving employees received simplified plan enrollment or contribution increase forms. A randomized subset of forms stated the fraction of age-matched coworkers participating in the plan or age-matched participants contributing at least 6% of pay to the plan. We document an oppositional reaction: the presence of peer information decreased the savings of nonparticipants who were ineligible for 401(k) automatic enrollment, and higher observed peer savings rates also decreased savings. Discouragement from upward social comparisons seems to drive this reaction

Planning Prompts as a Means of Increasing Preventive Screening Rates

In the U.S., 18,800 lives could be saved annually if those advised to obtain colorectal screenings based on national guidelines complied (Zauber et al., 2012). Subtle suggestions embedded in a decision-making environment can change people\u27s choices (Thaler and Sunstein, 2008). Past research has shown that prompting people to form plans about where and when they will complete an intended behavior increases engagement in activities ranging from voting to vaccination (Gollwitzer and Sheeran, 2006; Milkman et al., 2011; Nickerson and Rogers, 2010). When plans are formed, they link intended behaviors with a concrete future moment and course of action, creating cues that reduce forgetfulness and procrastination. We studied whether planning prompts increase colonoscopy rates

Prototype Weigh-In-Motion Performance

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has developed and patented methods to weigh slowly moving vehicles. We have used this technology to produce a portable weigh-in-motion system that is robust and accurate. This report documents the performance of the second-generation portable weigh-in-motion prototype (WIM Gen II). The results of three modes of weight determination are compared in this report: WIM Gen II dynamic mode, WIM Gen II stop-and-go mode, and static (parked) mode on in-ground, static scales. The WIM dynamic mode measures axle weights as the vehicle passes over the system at speeds of 3 to 7 miles per hour (1.3 to 3.1 meters/second). The WIM stop-and-go mode measures the weight of each axle of the vehicle as the axles are successively positioned on a side-by-side pair of WIM measurement pads. In both measurement modes the center of balance (CB) and the total weight are obtained by a straight-forward calculation from axle weights and axle spacings. The performance metric is measurement error (in percent), which is defined as 100 x (sample standard deviation)/(average); see Appendix A for details. We have insufficient data to show that this metric is predictive. This report details the results of weight measurements performed in May 2005 at two sites using different types of vehicles at each site. In addition to the weight measurements, the testing enabled refinements to the test methodology and facilitated an assessment of the influence of vehicle speed on the dynamic-mode measurements. The initial test at the National Transportation Research Center in Knoxville, TN, involved measurements of passenger and light-duty commercial vehicles. A subsequent test at the Arrival/Departure Airfield Control Group (A/DACG) facility in Ft. Bragg, NC, involved military vehicles with gross weights between 3,000 and 75,000 pounds (1,356 to 33,900 kilograms) with a 20,000-pound (9,040 kilograms) limit per axle. For each vehicle, four or more separate measurements were done using each weighing mode. WIM dynamic, WIM stop-and-go, and static-mode scale measurements were compared for total vehicle weight and the weight of the individual axles. We made WIM dynamic mode measurements with three assemblages of weight-transducer pads to assess the performance with varying numbers (2, 4, and 6) of weigh pads. Percent error in the WIM dynamic mode was 0.51%, 0.37%, and 0.37% for total vehicle weight and 0.77%, 0.50%, and 0.47% for single-axle weight for the two-, four-, and six-pad systems, respectively. Errors in the WIM stop-and-go mode were 0.55% for total vehicle weight and 0.62% for single-axle weights. In-ground scales weighed these vehicles with an error of 0.04% (within Army specifications) for total vehicle weight, and an error of 0.86% for single-axle weight. These results show that (1) the WIM error in single-axle weight was less than that obtained from in-ground static scales; (2) the WIM system eliminates time-consuming manual procedures, human errors, and safety concerns; and (3) measurement error for the WIM prototype was less than 1% (within Army requirements for this project). All the tests were performed on smooth, dry, level, concrete surfaces. Tests under non-ideal surface conditions are needed (e.g., rough but level, sun-baked asphalt, wet pavement), and future work will test WIM performance under these conditions. However, we expect the performance will be as good as, if not better than, the present WIM performance. We recommend the WIM stop-and-go mode under non-ideal surface conditions. We anticipate no performance degradation, assuming no subsurface deformation occurs

Phosphor Thermometry of Gas Turbine Surfaces

This paper describes a nondestructive method for thermometry applicable to ceramic surfaces and coatings. To date our primary application has been to turbine engine and air vehicle surfaces. This method makes use of thermally sensitive phosphors many of which, as it turns out, are also ceramics. These materials fluoresce when suitably illuminated by ultraviolet light. The fluorescence intensity and decay time are well-behaved functions of temperature and therefore serve as reliable indicators of the temperature of the substrate to which the fluorescing material is attached. It is a non- contact method in that the light delivery and collection optics can be remotely located. A range of phosphor materials have been tested and any temperature ranging from 8 to 1900 K can be measured by selection of the appropriate phosphor. Turbine blades, vanes, thermal barrier coatings, and panels are examples of surfaces which have been diagnosed to date in either engine or engine-simulation facilities. A variety of coating methods are used, including electron-beam deposition, radio-frequency sputtering, and curing with inorganic binders. This paper summarizes the results to date and status of this technology

Implementation of an Ultra-Bright Thermographic Phosphor for Gas Turbine Engine Temperature Measurements

The overall goal of the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) Seedling Phase II effort was to build on the promising temperature-sensing characteristics of the ultrabright thermographic phosphor Cr-doped gadolinium aluminum perovskite (Cr:GAP) demonstrated in Phase I by transitioning towards an engine environment implementation. The strategy adopted was to take advantage of the unprecedented retention of ultra-bright luminescence from Cr:GAP at temperatures over 1000 C to enable fast 2D temperature mapping of actual component surfaces as well as to utilize inexpensive low-power laser-diode excitation suitable for on-wing diagnostics. A special emphasis was placed on establishing Cr:GAP luminescence-based surface temperature mapping as a new tool for evaluating engine component surface cooling effectiveness

Temperature Measurements of Thermal Barrier Coating Surfaces Using a Cr-Doped GdAlO3 Thermographic Phosphor

No abstract availabl

The psychological science accelerator’s COVID-19 rapid-response dataset

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Psychological Science Accelerator coordinated three large-scale psychological studies to examine the effects of loss-gain framing, cognitive reappraisals, and autonomy framing manipulations on behavioral intentions and affective measures. The data collected (April to October 2020) included specific measures for each experimental study, a general questionnaire examining health prevention behaviors and COVID-19 experience, geographical and cultural context characterization, and demographic information for each participant. Each participant started the study with the same general questions and then was randomized to complete either one longer experiment or two shorter experiments. Data were provided by 73,223 participants with varying completion rates. Participants completed the survey from 111 geopolitical regions in 44 unique languages/dialects. The anonymized dataset described here is provided in both raw and processed formats to facilitate re-use and further analyses. The dataset offers secondary analytic opportunities to explore coping, framing, and self-determination across a diverse, global sample obtained at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which can be merged with other time-sampled or geographic data