Playing with words: Do people exploit loaded language to affect others’ decisions for their own benefit?
We report on three pre-registered studies testing whether people in the position of describing a decision problem to decision-makers exploit this opportunity for their benefit, by choosing descriptions that may be potentially beneficial for themselves. In Study 1, recipients of an extreme dictator g...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press
2022-01-01
|
| Series: | Judgment and Decision Making |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.sjdm.org/21/210607/jdm210607.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797763581988569088 |
|---|---|
| author | Valerio Capraro Andrea Vanzo Antonio Cabrales |
| author_facet | Valerio Capraro Andrea Vanzo Antonio Cabrales |
| author_sort | Valerio Capraro |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We report on three
pre-registered studies testing whether people in the position of describing a
decision problem to decision-makers exploit this opportunity for their benefit,
by choosing descriptions that may be potentially beneficial for themselves. In
Study 1, recipients of an extreme dictator game (where dictators can either
take the whole pie for themselves or give it entirely to the receiver) are
asked to choose the instructions used to introduce the game to dictators, from
six different instructions known from previous research to affect dictators’
decisions. The results demonstrate that some dictator game recipients tend to
choose instructions that make them more likely to receive a higher payoff.
Study 2 shows that people who choose descriptions that make them more likely to
receive a higher payoff indeed believe that they will receive a higher payoff.
Study 3 shows that receivers are more likely than dictators to choose these
self-serving descriptions. In sum, our work suggests that some people choose
descriptions that are beneficial to themselves; we also found some evidence
that deliberative thinking and young age are associated with this
tendency. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T19:43:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a6ef49a8377f433f9e3e10fdbe46c1fe |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1930-2975 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T19:43:28Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Judgment and Decision Making |
| spelling | doaj.art-a6ef49a8377f433f9e3e10fdbe46c1fe2023-08-02T03:40:30ZengCambridge University PressJudgment and Decision Making1930-29752022-01-011715069Playing with words: Do people exploit loaded language to affect others’ decisions for their own benefit?Valerio CapraroAndrea VanzoAntonio CabralesWe report on three pre-registered studies testing whether people in the position of describing a decision problem to decision-makers exploit this opportunity for their benefit, by choosing descriptions that may be potentially beneficial for themselves. In Study 1, recipients of an extreme dictator game (where dictators can either take the whole pie for themselves or give it entirely to the receiver) are asked to choose the instructions used to introduce the game to dictators, from six different instructions known from previous research to affect dictators’ decisions. The results demonstrate that some dictator game recipients tend to choose instructions that make them more likely to receive a higher payoff. Study 2 shows that people who choose descriptions that make them more likely to receive a higher payoff indeed believe that they will receive a higher payoff. Study 3 shows that receivers are more likely than dictators to choose these self-serving descriptions. In sum, our work suggests that some people choose descriptions that are beneficial to themselves; we also found some evidence that deliberative thinking and young age are associated with this tendency.http://journal.sjdm.org/21/210607/jdm210607.pdfchoice of wording dictator game self-interestnakeywords |
| spellingShingle | Valerio Capraro Andrea Vanzo Antonio Cabrales Playing with words: Do people exploit loaded language to affect others’ decisions for their own benefit? Judgment and Decision Making choice of wording dictator game self-interestnakeywords |
| title | Playing with words:
Do people exploit loaded language to affect others’ decisions for their own
benefit? |
| title_full | Playing with words:
Do people exploit loaded language to affect others’ decisions for their own
benefit? |
| title_fullStr | Playing with words:
Do people exploit loaded language to affect others’ decisions for their own
benefit? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Playing with words:
Do people exploit loaded language to affect others’ decisions for their own
benefit? |
| title_short | Playing with words:
Do people exploit loaded language to affect others’ decisions for their own
benefit? |
| title_sort | playing with words do people exploit loaded language to affect others decisions for their own benefit |
| topic | choice of wording dictator game self-interestnakeywords |
| url | http://journal.sjdm.org/21/210607/jdm210607.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT valeriocapraro playingwithwordsdopeopleexploitloadedlanguagetoaffectothersdecisionsfortheirownbenefit AT andreavanzo playingwithwordsdopeopleexploitloadedlanguagetoaffectothersdecisionsfortheirownbenefit AT antoniocabrales playingwithwordsdopeopleexploitloadedlanguagetoaffectothersdecisionsfortheirownbenefit |