Dishonest online: A distinction between observable and unobservable lying

Daniel Hermann and Mattheus Brenig

Journal of Economic Psychology, 2022, vol. 90, issue C

Abstract: This paper investigates dishonesty in an online experiment. A distinction is made between lies that are observable to the experimenter and those that are not. Participants are asked whether (1) a randomly generated number between 0 and 9 and (2) their mother’s birth year is even or odd; only the answer “even” is associated with a payoff. Responses of “even” are significantly more frequent when lying is unobservable. The order of these two questions significantly affects only the frequency of observable lying.

Keywords: Lying; Deception; Online experiment; Behavioral economics; Gender differences (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C91 D63 D90 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:joepsy:v:90:y:2022:i:c:s0167487022000071

DOI: 10.1016/j.joep.2022.102489

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