Abstract
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Experimental Economics |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - 14 Jan 2020 |
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Keywords
- Virtual reality experiment
- Cheating
- Watching eyes effect
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(Not) alone in the world: Cheating in the presence of a virtual observer. / Mol, Jantsje; van der Heijden, E.C.M.; Potters, J.J.M.
In: Experimental Economics, 14.01.2020.Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - (Not) alone in the world: Cheating in the presence of a virtual observer
AU - Mol, Jantsje
AU - van der Heijden, E.C.M.
AU - Potters, J.J.M.
PY - 2020/1/14
Y1 - 2020/1/14
N2 - We conducted an experiment in a high-immersive virtual reality environment to study the effect of the presence of a virtual observer on cheating behavior. Participants were placed in a virtual room and played 30 rounds of a cheating game without a chance of their cheating being detected. We varied whether or not a virtual observer (an avatar) was present in the room, and, if so, whether the avatar was actively staring at the decision maker or passively seated in a corner watching his smartphone. Results display significantly less cheating with an active than with a passive avatar, but not less cheating than in a control condition without an avatar. This suggests that an active (virtual) observer can intensify reputational concerns, but that the presence of someone passive and uninterested may actually alleviate such concerns.
AB - We conducted an experiment in a high-immersive virtual reality environment to study the effect of the presence of a virtual observer on cheating behavior. Participants were placed in a virtual room and played 30 rounds of a cheating game without a chance of their cheating being detected. We varied whether or not a virtual observer (an avatar) was present in the room, and, if so, whether the avatar was actively staring at the decision maker or passively seated in a corner watching his smartphone. Results display significantly less cheating with an active than with a passive avatar, but not less cheating than in a control condition without an avatar. This suggests that an active (virtual) observer can intensify reputational concerns, but that the presence of someone passive and uninterested may actually alleviate such concerns.
KW - Virtual reality experiment
KW - Cheating
KW - Watching eyes effect
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10683-020-09644-0
DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10683-020-09644-0
M3 - Article
JO - Experimental Economics
JF - Experimental Economics
SN - 1386-4157
ER -