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Do experimental subjects favor their friends?

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Author Info
Pablo Brañas-Garza () (Department of Economic Theory and Economic History, University of Granada)
Miguel Angel Durán (Department of Economic Theory and Economic History, University of Granada)
María Paz Espinosa (Universidad del País Vasco)

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Abstract

Ideally we would like subjects of experiments to be perfect strangers so that the situation they face at the lab is not just a part of a long run interaction. Unfortunately, it is not easy to reach those conditions and experimenters try to mitigate any effects coming form these out-of- the-lab relationships by, for instance, randomly matching subjects. However, even if this type of procedure is used, there is a positive probability that a subject faces a friend or an acquaintance. We find evidence that social proximity among subjects is irrelevant for experiments’ results in dictator games. Thus, although ideal conditions are not met, relations among subjects are not contaminating the experiments’ results.

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File URL: http://www.ugr.es/~teoriahe/RePEc/gra/wpaper/thepapers05_14.pdf
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Publisher Info
Paper provided by Department of Economic Theory and Economic History of the University of Granada. in its series ThE Papers with number 05/14.

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Length: 18 pages
Date of creation: 08 Jun 2005
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:gra:wpaper:05/14

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Related research
Keywords: experimental procedures; friendship effect; dictator game; fairness.;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
C99 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Other
D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
D64 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Altruism

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References listed on IDEAS
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. Gary E. Bolton & Rami Zwick & Elena Katok, 1998. "Dictator game giving: Rules of fairness versus acts of kindness," International Journal of Game Theory, Springer, vol. 27(2), pages 269-299. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Pablo Brañas-Garza & Ramón Cobo-Reyes & Natalia Jiménez & Giovanni Ponti, 2005. "An experimental device to elicit social networks," ThE Papers 05/19, Department of Economic Theory and Economic History of the University of Granada.. [Downloadable!]
  3. Hoffman, Elizabeth & McCabe, Kevin & Smith, Vernon L, 1996. "Social Distance and Other-Regarding Behavior in Dictator Games," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 86(3), pages 653-60, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Frank, Bjorn, 1998. "Good news for experimenters: subjects do not care about your welfare," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 61(2), pages 171-174, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Cited by:
(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. Pablo Brañas-Garza & Maria Paz Espinosa, 2006. "Altruism with Social Roots: An Emerging Literature," DFAEII Working Papers 200607, University of the Basque Country - Department of Foundations of Economic Analysis II, revised 31 Jan 2007. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Pablo Brañas-Garza & Miguel Angel Durán & María Paz Espinosa, 2005. "The role of personal involvement and responsibility in dictatorial allocations: a classroom investigation," ThE Papers 05/21, Department of Economic Theory and Economic History of the University of Granada.. [Downloadable!]
  3. Pablo Brañas-Garza, 2006. "Promoting Helping Behavior with Framing in Dictator games," ThE Papers 06/04, Department of Economic Theory and Economic History of the University of Granada.. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. Ramón Cobo-Reyes & Natalia Jiménez, 2007. "The dark side of friendship: envy," ThE Papers 07/07, Department of Economic Theory and Economic History of the University of Granada.. [Downloadable!]
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