We rely on both mental accounting and prospect theory to predict the effects of reward type on
goal selection (Thaler 1985, 1999). Mental accounting focuses on how individuals code, categorize,
and evaluate information when making choices (Thaler 1999). Coding relates to the ways in which
individuals combine or disaggregate outcomes (e.g., segregation of gains, cancellation of losses
against gains). Categorization pertains to the assignment of financial transactions (inflows or
outflows) to ‘‘accounts,’’ which, according to Thaler (1999), fall into one of three categories:
expenditures (e.g., bills, entertainment); wealth (e.g., retirement savings, home equity); and income
(e.g., windfall gains, regular earnings). Individuals tend to categorize financial outcomes (realized
and potential) into different mental ‘‘accounts’’ based on the characteristics of those outcomes, with
each account having a value function centered on its own reference point (Kahneman and Tversky
1984; Thaler 1999).