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On blame-freeness and reciprocity: an experimental study
Título de la revista
Autores
Blanco, Mariana
Çelen, Bogaçhan
Schotter, Andrew
Fecha
2010-07
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Universidad del Rosario
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Métricas alternativas
Resumen
Abstract
The theory of reciprocity is predicated on the assumption that people are willing
to reward nice or kind acts and to punish unkind ones. This assumption raises
the question as to how to define kindness. In this paper we offer a new definition
of kindness that we call “blame-freeness.” Put most simply, blame-freeness states
that in judging whether player i has been kind or unkind to player j in a social
situation, player j would have to put himself in the strategic position of player i,
while retaining his preferences, and ask if he would have acted in a manner that
was worse than i did under identical circumstances. If j would have acted in a more
unkind manner than i acted, then we say that j does not blame i for his behavior. If,
however, j would have been nicer than i was, then we say that “j blames i” for his
actions (i’s actions were blameworthy). We consider this notion a natural, intuitive
and empirically relevant way to explain the motives of people engaged in reciprocal
behavior. After developing the conceptual framework, we then test this concept in
a laboratory experiment involving tournaments and find significant support for the
theory.
Palabras clave
Keywords
Altruism , Blame , Reciprocity
Buscar en:
Blanco, M., Çelen, B., & Schotter, A. (2010). On blame-freeness and reciprocity: an experimental study. Bogotá: Universidad del Rosario.
