Conducting real effort experiments

David Hagmann and Luxi Shen

Chapter 13 in Handbook of Experimental Methods in the Social Sciences, 2026, pp 472-492 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter presents an overview of tasks used to study effort provision and labor supply decisions. We draw on examples from in-person laboratory experiments requiring physical effort, as well as computerized tasks that can be conducted remotely over the internet. We highlight advantages and disadvantages of the various methods. We further present experimental results illustrating that time constraints on how long people can work on a task (a common feature for experimental convenience) can undermine the effectiveness of financial incentives. The chapter concludes with thoughts on another feature common among the discussed tasks: the absence of enjoyment and meaning from the work itself.

Keywords: Real Effort; Experimental Design; Labor Supply; Incentives; Individual Behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035312627
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