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The Behavioral Impact of Emotions in a Power to take Game: An Experimental Study

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Author Info
Ronald Bosman () (University of Amsterdam)
Frans A.A.M. van Winden () (University of Amsterdam)
Abstract

The power to take game is a simple two player game where players are randomly divided into pairs consisting of a take authority and responder. Both players in each pair have earned an own income in an individual real effort decision-making experiment preceding the take game. The game consists of two stages. In the first stage, the take authority decides how much income will be transferred from the responder to the take authority after the second stage (the so-called take rate). In the second stage, the responder can punish the take authority by destroying own income. The transfer from the responder to the take authority will be based on the income of the responder that is left after the second stage. In this experimental study, we are primarily interested in how emotions influence responder behavior. Our findings are the following. (1) A higher take rate significantly increases the intensity of irritation, contempt, and envy, and significantly decreases the intensity of joy and happiness. Since negative emotions are experienced as painful, there is direct hedonic impact. (2) Irritation and contempt drive punishment behavior. (3) There are discontinuous “jumps” in the behavior of responders. They either choose no punishment (destroy nothing) or the highest level of punishment (destroy everything). (4) Expectations have a significant effect on the probability of punishment but not on the intensity of experienced emotion. We explain this last result in terms of norm-related regulation of emotions.

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Paper provided by Tinbergen Institute in its series Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers with number 99-039/1.

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Date of creation: 08 Jun 1999
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Handle: RePEc:dgr:uvatin:19990039

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Keywords: emotions punishment expectations social norms experiment

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
A12 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Relation of Economics to Other Disciplines
C72 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Noncooperative Games
C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
C92 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Group Behavior

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(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Ronald Bosman & Matthias Sutter & Frans van Winden, 2000. "Emotional Hazard and Real Effort in a Power-to-Take Game," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 00-106/1, Tinbergen Institute. [Downloadable!]
  2. Ottone, Stefania, 2005. "Transfers and Altruistic Punishments in Solomon's Game experiments," P.O.L.I.S. department's Working Papers 50, Department of Public Policy and Public Choice - POLIS. [Downloadable!]
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