Do control questions influence behavior in experiments?

Catherine Roux and Christian Thöni

Experimental Economics, 2015, vol. 18, issue 2, 185-194

Abstract: Outcomes and strategies shown in control questions prior to experimental play may provide subjects with anchors or induce experimenter demand effects. In a Cournot oligopoly experiment we explore whether control questions influence subjects’ choices in initial periods and over the course of a repeated game. We vary the framing of the control question to explore the cause of potential influences. We find no evidence for an influence of the control question on choices, neither in the first period nor later in the game. Copyright Economic Science Association 2015

Keywords: Control questions; Experimenter demand effects; Anchoring; Experimental design; B41; C72; C91 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Working Paper: Do Control Questions Influence Behavior in Experiments? (2013)
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DOI: 10.1007/s10683-014-9395-y

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