Abstract

We experimentally study the impact of framing effects in a sequential social dilemma game. Our between-subjects design consists of two group level (“Wall Street” vs.“Community”) and two individual level (“First (Second) Movers” vs. “Leaders (Followers)”) frames. We find that average contributions are significantly higher when thegame is called the Wall Street game than when it is called the Community game. However, the social framing effect disappears when we control for players’first-order andsecond-order beliefs. Overall, our evidence indicates that social frames enter people’s beliefs rather than their preferences.

Co-Author: Edward Cartwright

Practical information