Schriftenreihe/Nr.:
Beiträge zur Jahrestagung des Vereins für Socialpolitik 2010: Ökonomie der Familie - Session: Trust, Honesty, and Reputation: Neuroeconomic Evidence No. C5-V2
Zusammenfassung:
Testosterone has been linked to status-related behaviors in animals. A similar link has been proposed for humans, but most evidence is correlative. We test this link in a double-blind experiment in which subjects either receive testosterone or a placebo. Subjects roll a die in private and report the outcome. Payment increases with self-reported outcome. The experimenter only observes the self-reported outcome. Therefore subjects have an incentive to misreport. However, reporting a high number also threatens status, status concerned individuals may therefore report more honestly. We observe cheating in both groups, but placebo subjects report higher numbers than their testosterone counterparts.