Pymetrics Games Risk and Decision-Making 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) used in Pymetrics, what does repeatedly stopping at very low pump counts most likely indicate?
- High risk tolerance and impulsivity
- Extreme risk aversion and overly cautious decision-making (Correct answer)
- Optimal expected-value maximization
- Random guessing with no clear strategy
Correct answer: Extreme risk aversion and overly cautious decision-making
Stopping at very low pump counts suggests excessive caution and risk aversion, leaving potential reward on the table.
Question 2: During Pymetrics' monetary exchange games, a candidate consistently accepts unfair offers rather than rejecting them. What trait does this behavior most likely reflect?
- Strong sense of fairness and equity
- High agreeableness and pragmatic compromise (Correct answer)
- Impulsive decision-making under time pressure
- Inability to assess numerical value
Correct answer: High agreeableness and pragmatic compromise
Accepting unfair offers suggests the person prioritizes pragmatic gain over fairness norms, reflecting high agreeableness or compromise orientation.
Question 3: In a Pymetrics task where you must allocate resources between a guaranteed payout and a gamble, choosing the gamble when its expected value is lower than the guaranteed payout reflects:
- Risk-seeking behavior (Correct answer)
- Risk-neutral decision-making
- Risk-averse decision-making
- Loss aversion
Correct answer: Risk-seeking behavior
Choosing a gamble with lower expected value than a certain alternative is the definition of risk-seeking behavior.
Question 4: Pymetrics games record reaction time alongside choices. In a risk task, what does a very short reaction time before accepting a high-risk bet most likely suggest?
- The candidate carefully calculated odds
- The choice was made impulsively without deliberation (Correct answer)
- The candidate recognized the bet as low-risk
- Slow processing speed masked by fast clicking
Correct answer: The choice was made impulsively without deliberation
Very short reaction times before risky choices typically indicate impulsive decision-making rather than calculated risk-taking.
Question 5: In the context of Pymetrics assessments, 'loss aversion' is best described as:
- Avoiding all games that involve potential losses
- Feeling the pain of a loss more strongly than the pleasure of an equivalent gain (Correct answer)
- Refusing to participate in any gamble regardless of odds
- Choosing the option with the lowest variance every time
Correct answer: Feeling the pain of a loss more strongly than the pleasure of an equivalent gain
Loss aversion means losses loom larger psychologically than equivalent gains, a core finding from prospect theory.
Question 6: A Pymetrics candidate increases bet sizes after a series of wins in a risk game. This pattern is best described as:
- Gambler's fallacy in reverse (hot-hand fallacy) (Correct answer)
- Rational updating based on new information
- Loss aversion kicking in after gains
- Optimal Kelly criterion betting
Correct answer: Gambler's fallacy in reverse (hot-hand fallacy)
Raising bets after consecutive wins reflects the hot-hand fallacy, the mistaken belief that a winning streak will continue.
Question 7: In Pymetrics games that involve sequential decisions under uncertainty, which approach is generally considered most adaptive by the algorithm?
- Always choosing the maximum possible risk for maximum reward
- Using early rounds to explore options and later rounds to exploit what you've learned (Correct answer)
- Copying the same choice every round regardless of feedback
- Avoiding all choices with any negative outcome attached
Correct answer: Using early rounds to explore options and later rounds to exploit what you've learned
The explore-then-exploit strategy balances learning and earning, which Pymetrics rewards as adaptive decision-making.
Pymetrics Games Risk and Decision-Making 2
In the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) used in Pymetrics, what does repeatedly stopping at very low pump counts most likely indicate?