Holistic experimentation versus decomposition: An ultimatum experiment

Author(s)

Max Albert, Werner Gueth, Erich Kirchler, Boris Maciejovsky

Abstract

In phase I, every participant plays the ultimatum game with each of the other five group members. For each of five offers, it is learned how many participants in each group would have accepted it. In phase II, the pie is 30 times larger. Thus, response behavior can be explored in phase I and, with this information, possibly exploited in phase II. Neither game theory nor equity theory suggest such holistic experimentation. Seventy-four participants out of 91 engaged in experimentation by submitting different offers in phase I. The remaining 17 submitted equal offers as suggested by decomposition hypothesis. 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Organisation(s)

External organisation(s)

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Universität Koblenz-Landau

Journal

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization

Volume

48

Pages

445-453

No. of pages

9

ISSN

0167-2681

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-2681(01)00237-2

Publication date

2002

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

5010 Psychology

Portal url

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/61762701-56c0-45af-ac26-27da8595200b