The current research uses the now-classic Trust Game and introduces a new, simultaneous version of the game to investigate whether people display trust as an influence tactic. Purely personal trusting decisions should lead trustors to send equivalent amounts in both versions of the game;...

The social networks literature suggests that ties must be maintained to retain value. In contrast, we show that reconnecting dormant ties – former ties, now out of touch – can be extremely useful. Our research prompted Executive MBA students to consult their dormant contacts about an...

This study investigates the differential effectiveness of cultural values and normative beliefs as predictors of behavior in a competitive group decision-making task in three countries, Israel, Japan, and the United States. Its purpose is to test hypotheses about how cultural values and norms...

This paper investigates the dynamics of deception and retribution in repeated ultimatum bargaining. Anonymous dyads exchanged messages and offers in a series of four ultimatum bargaining games that had prospects for relatively large monetary outcomes. Variations in each party's knowledge of the...

Although contracts provide safeguards against risk, they can also signal low expectations for a relationship (e.g., suggesting a prenuptial agreement.) Three studies document how attempts to create more complete contracts, driven by a desire to effectively manage the potential pitfalls in a...

Several of the results reported here broadly support theories of sequential equilibria. In particular, at least four pieces of data indicate that game theory's structurally-oriented models predict some of the reasons for individuals' play in the prisoner's dilemma game: (1) more cooperation...

Although fairness concerns may be relevant, they appear to be too simple an explanation for why game theory's strong predictions for ultimatum games are so rarely supported. Self interested offerers want to avoid rejections; unpredicted, non-equilibrium behavior is more valuable and effective...