Can intentions spoil the kindness of a gift? - An experimental study

Strassmair, Christina (Oktober 2009): Can intentions spoil the kindness of a gift? - An experimental study. SFB/TR 15 Discussion Paper No. 302

Abstract

Consider a situation where person A undertakes acostly action that benefits person B. This behavior seems altruistic. However, if A expects a reward in return from B, then A's action may be motivated by expected rewards rather than by pure altruism. The question we address in this experimental study is how B reacts to A's intentions. We vary the probability that the second mover in a trust game can reciprocate and analyze effects on second mover behavior. Our results suggest that expected rewards do not spoil the perceived kindness of an action and the action's rewards.

• Dokumententyp: Paper
• Keywords: social preferences, intentions, beliefs, psychological game theory, experiment
• Fakultät: Sonderforschungsbereiche > Discussion Paper Series of SFB/TR 15 Governance and the Efficiency of Economic Systems ; Sonderforschungsbereiche > Discussion Paper Series of SFB/TR 15 Governance and the Efficiency of Economic Systems > A4 - Unvollständige Verträge, Marktinteraktion und soziale Vergleichsprozesse
• Themengebiete: 300 Sozialwissenschaften > 330 Wirtschaft
• JEL Classification: D03, D64
• Sprache: Englisch