This paper tests social identity theory with respect to individuals' self-identification behavior. We report results from a laboratory experiment in which subjects choose their group membership, which is interpreted as decision to identify with the respective group. Inducing a trade-off between...

This article examines the concepts of group membership, group identity and racial identity, and group consciousness. For each of these we discuss theoretical definitions, research using the various definitions, and issues of measurement. We show that these concepts are distinct and build on each...

A lot of economic and social situations can be described as contests in which agents need to distribute scare resources. Individual behavior plays an important role within these situations, while identity strongly impacts on behavior. This paper asks how group identity impacts the provision of a...

Cooperation is essential to long-term group effectiveness. It is difficult to achieve, however, when the group's and an individual's goals conflict. Under these circumstances, how does cooperation emerge? One means is through trust, which is an attitude critical to the formation of cooperation...

Are people willing to sacrifice resources to save one's and others' face? In a laboratory experiment, we study whether individuals forego resources to avoid the public exposure of the least performer in their group. We show that a majority of individuals are willing to pay to preserve not only...