Social Science

Y=incidence of burrito consumption after midnight. 1=at least one burrito consumed 0=no burrito consumed.

X1=number of drinks consumed/hour, beginning with first drink consumed.

x2=size of pre-drink meal (measured by calorie content)

x3=length of time between last pre-drink meal and last drink

x4=number of burrito-serving restaurants within 5 miles open after midnight (including gas stations)

x5=number of frozen burritos in freezer at home.

B=Coefficient

U=Error Term

Model Specification:

Y=B + BX1 + BX2 + BX3 + BX4 + BX5.

Hypothesis: Modern Joe behavior theorists have long wrestled with the frequency of seemingly irrational choices that Joe exhibits. Such choices serve to problematize rational choice theories of behavior that are posited by a variety of social science disciplines, most notably economics. To account for these behaviors, prevailing Joe theory suggests that Joe's "irrational" behavior stems primarily from a lack of cognitive ability combined with the unusual strength of his physical urges. However, we pose a new theory: that Joe's irrational behavior can sometimes, and perhaps even frequently, be attributed to a decreased cognitive capacity stemming from alcohol consumption. One prominent irrational behavior, Joe's tendency to consume burritos after midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, offers a chance to test this theory. We hypothesize that alcohol consumption will have positive, causal impact on the likelihood of Joe's consumption of late night burritos. Using self-reported and observational data collected over a six month period, we use probit regression to determine the impact of 5 alcohol-related variables on Joe's likelihood of late-night burrito consumption.