Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP7634
Authors: Nicole M. Baran; Paola Sapienza; Luigi Zingales
Abstract: We show that a measure of reciprocity derived from the Berg et al. (1995) trust game in a laboratory setting predicts the reciprocal behavior of the same subjects in a real-world situation. By using the Crowne and Marlowe (1960) social desirability scale, we do not find any evidence that a desire to conform to social norms distorts results in the lab, yet we do find evidence that it affects results in the field.
Keywords: donation; field and lab experiments; reciprocity
JEL Codes: C9; D64; H41
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Responder behavior in the trust game (C72) | Amount donated (D64) |
| Fraction returned by the responder (Y60) | Amount donated (D64) |
| Social desirability (Z13) | Amount donated (D64) |
| Social desirability (Z13) | Responder behavior in the trust game (C72) |
| Laboratory measures of reciprocity (C92) | Real-world donation behavior (D64) |