This doctoral thesis consists of four self-contained chapters on different topics in Behavioural Economics.

“The Impact of Stress on Risky Choice: Preference Shifts or Noise” examines whether risk preferences shift under stress, taking into account the possibility that more mistakes are made in decision-making under stress.

“The Effect of Stress on Consumers’ Estimation of Food Consumption Levels: Evidence from a Lab Experiment” examines if consumers overestimate their food consumption levels under stress, which could lead to food waste.

“The digit ratio (2D:4D) and economic preferences: no robust associations in a sample of 330 women” examines the effect of the digit ratio on economic preferences with an aim to replicate previous studies.

“Pregnancy and Alcohol Purchases: Evidence from Scanner Data” examines how households adjust their alcohol purchases and fruit and vegetable purchases from before, to during and after pregnancy.

Elle Parslow holds a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) and a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the University of Queensland. Her main research fields are Behavioural Economics, Experimental Economics and Applied Econometrics.

Elle Parslow - Empirical Essays on Choices under Stress, Preferences and Consumption