Punishment has been shown to be an effective reinforcement mechanism. Intentional or not, punishment will likely generate spillover effects that extend beyond one’s immediate decision environment, and these spillovers are not as well understood. We seek to understand these secondary spillover...

Using the creative uses task, we compare the productivity trade-offs present when team members work face-to-face versus when they work apart. We find that nominal teams create a greater number of ideas, however, face-to-face interactions yield more unique ideas, on average. Additionally,...

We examine the impact of glucose on a Bayesian choice task that creates a separating equilibrium between high-level Bayesian choice and lower-level reinforcement heuristic choice. Consistent with a dual systems framework, we hypothesize that glucose administration will both increase reaction...

Experimental studies have shown that sanctions effectively deter free riding within groups. However, the over-use of costly punishment may actually harm overall welfare. A main reason for over-punishment is that free-riders generate negative emotions that likely favor excessive punishments. In...

When membership in a particular group conveys valuable information about an individual’s skills, productivity, or other human capital characteristics, a non-prejudiced agent may still find it rational to statistically discriminate. We frame statistical discrimination in a labor market setting...

Do individuals trained in law enforcement punish or rewards differently from typical student subjects? We analyze norm enforcement behavior of newly appointed police commissioners in both a Voluntary Contribution Mechanism game and a Common Pool Resource game. Our experimental design includes...

Physical activity level is becoming more recognized as a primary factor in overall human health and obesity. Humans possess a number of traits that influence their physical activity level. We examined whether having a high or low desire to engage in challenging mental activity predicted...