Reducing avoidance of debt-related information: a simple questionnaire experiment 2014-2015

Experimental dataset resulting from a modified Howell and Shepperd (2013) questionnaire which was originally designed to prompt contemplation of diabetes and applied it to debt-related issues. This was followed by the choice to view (or not) their risk for debt through a debt avoidance task. This allowed us to answer a key empirical question identified by Howell and Shepperd (2013): “we do not know whether contemplation can reduce information avoidance in non-health domains”. This tested the general hypothesis that prompting participants to contemplate the cons of avoiding and pros of not avoiding debt-related information would decrease the likelihood that they would avoid debt-related information.<p>Despite personal debt being an ever increasing problem within our society the psychological understanding of debt and interventions to the problem remain elusive. The present project provides a novel solution by using insights from those with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, who are known to excessively monitor (eg, "Did I turn the oven off?"), and apply this to those who don’t monitor their finances.

The research will examine which cognitive factors explain why debtors fail to adequately monitor their debt. Then examine debtors’ attentional biases with debt-related stimuli and how this relates to how they monitor their finances. This information will be used to modify how debtors interact with debt-related stimuli, and quantify its influence on financial behaviours. Finally, this will be applied to the design of a Manage Your Debt Application System (MYDAS) mobile phone intervention which aims to improve how debtors monitor their debt.

This research will have the following implications:

Science: By providing an empirical understanding of the thought process of debtors and an intervention to change those thought processes key to debt.
Society: By providing new tools to identify problem debtors and interventions (MYDAS) the research will benefit debtors (reduce debt), creditors (repayment) and debt agencies.</p>