A two-stage experiment was designed to examine spillover effects of a type of optimism/pessimism. We first exploit cognitive dissonance to induce optimism/pessimism by random assignment of high/low piece rates for performing a task. Subjects receiving the low piece rate are significantly more...

Beliefs are a key motivator of individual behavior. As such, an understanding of how individuals’ beliefs develop is a prerequisite to understanding decision-making and behavior. While rational choice theory posits a Bayesian framework for belief formation, status construction theories argue...

<title>Abstract</title> The author uses a simple classroom experiment to develop the economic model of monopoly. As a pedagogical tool, the experiment introduces students to the nature of the monopoly problem and motivates them to think of the associated efficiency issues as a divergence between private...

We conduct a laboratory experiment exploring the existence of stereotypes in intertemporal decision-making. Participants were asked to predict intertemporal decisions made by third parties described only by age and gender. We find evidence of significant age and gender stereotyping with respect...

Research in psychology indicates that individuals often make inferences regarding unknown individual qualities based on potentially irrelevant (but socially observable) information. This paper explores occupational choices when individuals receive imprecise signals regarding ability and use the...

We find an "inverse found money effect" in two-person public good experiments in which individuals earning their endowments contribute more and engage in "altruistic conditional cooperation" when they are matched with those whose endowment is provided by the experimenters.