Trust and Cooperation: In the Lab and in the Field Open Access

Lanier, Kelli Floyd (2012)

Permanent URL: https://etd.library.emory.edu/concern/etds/cn69m422h?locale=en
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Abstract

Abstract

Trust and Cooperation: In the Lab and in the Field

By Kelli Floyd Lanier

Using a within-subject design in which subjects participated in a series of attitudinal surveys and the Berg, et al. (1995) investment game, in Chapter 1, I dispute the consensus that attitudinal survey measures designed to measure trust do not align with behavioral trust measures. When we control for altruistic motives, attitudinal questions do predict trusting actions as well as trustworthy behavior. Findings suggest that some researchers should "homogenize" their experiments in the field, or consider including attitudinal questions in their studies.

Previous studies have utilized investment games and the public goods game as key instruments for measuring trust and cooperation, respectively. However, experimental economists have largely ignored the relationship between cooperation and trust. Chapter 2 presents results of a within-subject study where subjects played two games designed to measure trust and one game designed to measure cooperation. Results show that behavior in each of these games can predict behavior in the other two, thereby supporting the idea that researchers may use any of these distinct games to measure pro-social behavior.

Chapter 3 reports the results of an experiment that longitudinally examines pro-social behavior and group identity in pre-existing, cross-functional teams. I conduct the experiment with MBA, JD, and science and engineering PhD students participating in the team-based academic program, Technological Innovation: Generating Economic Results (TI:GER). Even when new to their teams, these students exhibit greater pro-social behavior towards their group members than do members of a randomly assigned control group, and they treat unknown individuals no differently than the control subjects do. Members of the different functions behave similarly to one another. High identification with a group can help mitigate potential negative effects of business training and sustain pro-social behavior. This chapter contributes to existing economic literature by beginning to explore the interaction of social identity, cross-functional teams, and pro-social behavior. It also provides further insight into the effects of business training.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

1. Attitudinal and Behavioral Measures of Trust: A New Comparison................... 1

1.1 Introduction................................................................................................................ 1

1.2 Trust and how it is measured...................................................................................... 6

1.3 Experimental Design................................................................................................ 11

1.4 Experimental procedures.......................................................................................... 14

1.5 Results..................................................................................................................... 17

1.6 Discussion............................................................................................................... 20

Appendix A: Figures...................................................................................................... 24

Appendix B: Primary Tables.......................................................................................... 26

Appendix C: Supplementary Table................................................................................ 37

2. Trust, Trustworthiness and Cooperation: Are the Trusting and Trustworthy Cooperative? 38

2.1 Introduction.............................................................................................................. 38

2.2 Trust and Cooperation.............................................................................................. 40

2.3 Experimental Design and Procedures....................................................................... 43

2.4 Results..................................................................................................................... 49

2.5 Conclusion............................................................................................................... 56

Appendix C: Figures...................................................................................................... 59

Appendix D: Tables....................................................................................................... 60

3. Group Identity and Pro-Social Behavior in Cross-Functional Teams................. 70

3.1 Introduction.............................................................................................................. 70

3.2 Social Identity Theory.............................................................................................. 75

3.3 The Institutional Setting: TI:GER............................................................................ 79

3.4 Experimental Design and Procedures....................................................................... 80

3.4.1. The Investment Game..................................................................................................................................... 81

3.4.2. The Triple Dictator Game............................................................................................................................. 82

3.4.3. The Public Goods Game.................................................................................................................................. 83

3.4.4. Surveys..................................................................................................................................................................... 85

3.5 Inter-Group Analysis Based on Social Identity Theory............................................ 88

3.6 Longitudinal Intra-Group Analysis Based on the Effects of Business Training....... 97

3.6.1. Effects of Business Training........................................................................................................................ 98

3.7 Longitudinal Intra-Group Analysis Based on the Intersection of Social Identity Theory and the Effects of Business Training 108

3.8 Discussion and Conclusion.................................................................................... 113

Appendix F: Figures.................................................................................................... 119

Appendix G: Tables..................................................................................................... 130

Appendix H: Supplementary Tables............................................................................. 138

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