Adult - Decision Making Competence

Each of the following problems presents a choice between two options. Each problem is
presented with a scale ranging from 1 (representing one option) through 6 (representing the
other option). For each item, please choose the number on the scale that best reflects your
relative preference between the two options.
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*3. Problem 1

You are buying a gold ring on layaway for someone

special. It costs £200 and you have already paid £100 on it,
so you owe another £100. One day, you see in the paper
that a new jewelry store is selling the same ring for only
£90 as a special sale, and you can pay for it using layaway.
The new store is across the street from the old one. If you
decide to get the ring from the new store, you will not be
able to get your money back from the old store, but you
would save £10 overall.

Would you be more likely to continue paying at the old

store or buy from the new store?
1 Most likely to continue paying at the old store

6 Most likely to buy from the new store

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*4. Problem 2

You enjoy playing tennis, but you really love bowling. You
just became a member of a tennis club, and of a bowling
club, both at the same time. The membership to your
tennis club costs £200 per year and the membership to
your bowling club £50 per year. During the first week of
both memberships, you develop an elbow injury. It is
painful to play either tennis or bowling. Your doctor tells
you that the pain will continue for about a year.

Would you be more likely to play tennis or bowling in the

next six months?
1 Most likely to play tennis

6 Most likely to play bowling

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*5. Problem 3

You have been looking forward to this year’s Halloween

party. You have the right cape, the right wig, and the right
hat. All week, you have been trying to perfect the outfit by
cutting out a large number of tiny stars to glue to the cape
and the hat, and you still need to glue them on. On the day
of Halloween, you decide that the outfit looks better
without all these stars you have worked so hard on.

Would you be more likely to wear the stars or go without?

1 Most likely to wear stars

6 Most likely to not wear stars

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*6. Problem 4

After a large meal at a restaurant, you order a big dessert

with chocolate and ice cream. After a few bites you find
you are full and you would rather not eat any more of it.

Would you be more likely to eat more or to stop eating it?

1 Most likely to eat more

6 Most likely to stop eating

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*7. Problem 5

You are in a hotel room for one night and you have paid
£6.95 to watch a movie on pay TV. Then you discover that
there is a movie you would much rather like to see on one
of the free cable TV channels. You only have time to watch
one of the two movies.

Would you be more likely to watch the movie on pay TV or

on the free cable channel?
1 Most likely to watch pay TV

6 Most likely to watch free cable

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*8. Problem 6

You have been asked to give a toast at your friend’s

wedding. You have worked for hours on this one story
about you and your friend taking drivers’ education, but
you still have some work to do on it. Then you realize that
you could finish writing the speech faster if you start over
and tell the funnier story about the dance lessons you took
together.

Would you be more likely to finish the toast about driving

or rewrite it to be about dancing?
1 Most likely to write about driving

6 Most likely to write about dancing

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*9. Problem 7

You decide to learn to play a musical instrument. After you

buy an expensive cello, you find you are no longer
interested. Your neighbour is moving and you are excited
that she is leaving you her old guitar, for free. You’d like to
learn how to play it.

Would you be more likely to practice the cello or the

guitar?
1 Most likely to play cello

6 Most likely to play guitar

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*10. Problem 8

You and your friend are at a movie theatre together. Both

you and your friend are getting bored with the storyline.
You’d hate to waste the money spent on the ticket, but you
both feel that you would have a better time at the coffee
shop next door. You could sneak out without other people
noticing.

Would you be more likely to stay or to leave?

1 Most likely to stay

6 Most likely to leave

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*11. Problem 9

You and your friend have driven halfway to a resort. Both

you and your friend feel sick. You both feel that you both
would have a much better weekend at home. Your friend
says it is "too bad" you already drove halfway, because you
both would much rather spend the time at home. You
agree.

Would you be more likely to drive on or turn back?

1 Most likely to drive on

6 Most likely to turn back

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*12. Problem 10

You are painting your bedroom with a sponge pattern in

your favourite colour. It takes a long time to do. After you
finish two of the four walls, you realize you would have
preferred the solid colour instead of the sponge pattern.
You have enough paint left over to redo the entire room in
the solid colour. It would take you the same amount of
time as finishing the sponge pattern on the two walls you
have left.

Would you be more likely to finish the sponge pattern or

to redo the room in the solid colour?
1 Most likely to finish sponge pattern

6 Most likely to redo with a solid colour

Adult Decision Making Competence

Each of these questions asks for your best guess at the chance that something will happen in the
future. They use the “probability” scale that you see below. To answer each question, please put a
mark on the scale at one specific tick mark.

If you think that something has no chance of happening, mark it as having a 0% chance. If you think
that something is certain to happen, mark it as having a 100% chance.

The following questions ask about events that may happen some time during the next year.
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*13. What is the probability that you will get into a car
accident while driving during the next year?
0 50

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*14. What is the probability that you will have a cavity
filled during the next year?
0 50

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*15. What is the probability that you will die (from any
cause - crime, illness, accident, and so on) during the next
year?
0 50

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*16. What is the probability that someone will steal
something from you during the next year?
0 50

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*17. What is the probability that you will move your
permanent address to another country some time during
the next year?
0 50

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*18. What is the probability that you will die in a terrorist
attack during the next year?
0 50

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*19. What is the probability that someone will break into
your home and steal something from you during the next
year?
0 50

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*20. What is the probability that you will keep your
permanent address in the same country during the next
year?
0 50

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*21. What is the probability that you will visit a dentist, for
any reason, during the next year?
0 50

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*22. What is the probability that your driving will be
accident-free during the next year?
0 50

dult Decision Making Competence

The following questions ask about events that may happen some time during the next 5 years.
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*23. What is the probability that you will get into a car
accident while driving during the next 5 years?
0 50
Clear

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*24. What is the probability that you will have a cavity
filled during the next 5 years?
0 50
Clear

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*25. What is the probability that you will die (from any
cause - crime, illness, accident, and so on) during the next
5 years?
0 50
Clear

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*26. What is the probability that someone will steal
something from you during the next 5 years?
0 50
Clear

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*27. What is the probability that you will move your
permanent address to another country some time during
the next 5 years?
0 50
Clear

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*28. What is the probability that you will die in a terrorist
attack during the next 5 years?
0 50
Clear

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*29. What is the probability that someone will break into
your home and steal something from you during the next 5
years?
0 50
Clear

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*30. What is the probability that you will keep your
permanent address in the same country during the next 5
years?
0 50
Clear

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*31. What is the probability that you will visit a dentist, for
any reason, during the next 5 years?
0 50
Clear

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*32. What is the probability that your driving will be
accident-free during the next 5 years?
0 50
Clear