Arbeitspapier

Do injunctive or descriptive social norms elicited using coordination games better explain social preferences?

We experimentally study the relationship between social norms and social preferences on the individual level. Subjects coordinate on injunctive and descriptive norms, and we test which type of norm is more strongly related to behavior in a series of dictator games. Our experiment yields three insights. First, both injunctive and descriptive norms explain dictator behavior and recipients' guesses, but perceptions about descriptive social norms are behaviorally more relevant. Second, our findings corroborate that coordination games are a valid tool to elicit social norm perception on the subject level, as the individuals' coordination choices are good predictors for their actual behavior. Third, average descriptive norms on the population level accurately predict behavior on the population level. This suggests that the elicitation of descriptive social norms using coordination games is a potentially powerful tool to predict behavior in settings that are otherwise difficult to explore.

Sprache
Englisch

Erschienen in
Series: Discussion Paper Series ; No. 668

Klassifikation
Wirtschaft
Game Theory and Bargaining Theory: General
Analysis of Collective Decision-Making: General
Micro-Based Behavioral Economics: Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making‡
Thema
injunctive social norms
descriptive social norms
social preferences
coordination

Ereignis
Geistige Schöpfung
(wer)
Schmidt, Robert J.
Ereignis
Veröffentlichung
(wer)
University of Heidelberg, Department of Economics
(wo)
Heidelberg
(wann)
2019

DOI
doi:10.11588/heidok.00027175
Handle
URN
urn:nbn:de:bsz:16-heidok-271750
Letzte Aktualisierung
10.03.2025, 11:42 MEZ

Datenpartner

Dieses Objekt wird bereitgestellt von:
ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft. Bei Fragen zum Objekt wenden Sie sich bitte an den Datenpartner.

Objekttyp

  • Arbeitspapier

Beteiligte

  • Schmidt, Robert J.
  • University of Heidelberg, Department of Economics

Entstanden

  • 2019

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