The Intuition of Punishment: A Study of Fairness Preferences and Cognitive Ability
Can differences in cognitive reflection explain other-regarding behavior? To test this, I use the three-item Cognitive Reflection Task to classify individuals as <i>intuitive</i> or <i>reflective</i> and correlate this measure with choices in three games that each subject par...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-05-01
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| Series: | Games |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4336/11/2/21 |
| Summary: | Can differences in cognitive reflection explain other-regarding behavior? To test this, I use the three-item Cognitive Reflection Task to classify individuals as <i>intuitive</i> or <i>reflective</i> and correlate this measure with choices in three games that each subject participates in. The main sample consists of 236 individuals who completed the <i>dictator game, ultimatum game</i> and a <i>third-party punishment task.</i> Subjects afterwards completed the three-item Cognitive Reflection Test. Results showed that <i>intuitive</i> individuals acted more prosocially in all social dilemma tasks. These individuals were more likely to serve as a norm enforcer and <i>third-party punish</i> a selfish act in the <i>dictator game</i>. <i>Reflective</i> individuals were found more likely to act consistently in a self-interested manner across the three games. |
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| ISSN: | 2073-4336 |