In three sets of experiments involving 5,432 subjects, we show that agents make more errors when doing so allows them to justify selfish behavior. We show that errors relating to addition arise when they can help to justify selfishness but are eliminated when selfish motives are removed. In...

This dissertation studies how psychological motives shape economic preferences and outcomes and how these motives are activated through contextual stimuli. In particular, I focus on the motive care which is a prosocial motive that facilitated cooperation by internalizing externalities, whereas...