An Experimental Study of the Effects of Inequality and Relative Deprivation on Trusting Behavior

Several non-experimental studies report that income inequality and other forms of population-based heterogeneity reduce levels of trust in society. However, recent work by Glaeser et al. (2000) calls into question the reliability of widely used survey-based measures of trust. Specifically, survey responses regarding trust attitudes did not reflect subjects actual behavior in a trust game. In this paper, we conduct a novel experimental test of the effects of inequality on trust and trustworthiness. Our experimental design induces inequality by varying the show-up fees paid to subjects, in contrast to previous experiments that focus on broad cultural or national differences in trust. We do not find robust support for the hypothesis that inequality per se dampens trusting behavior among all subjects; however, we do find some evidence that trust and rustworthiness are influenced by an individuals relative position in the group. Finally, we confirm previous findings that common survey-based measures of social trust are not associated with actual trusting behavior.Trust, social capital, heterogeneity, inequality, experiment

Do Liberals Play Nice? The Effects of Party and Political Ideology in Public Goods and Trust Games

We test the conventional wisdom that political ideology is associated with generosity or compassion by comparing the behavior of experimental subjects in public goods or trust games. We find that self-described liberals and those identifying more closely with the Democrat party are just as likely to free-ride as conservatives or Republican-leaners; likewise, political ideology is unrelated to observed trusting behavior or trustworthiness in a bilateral trust game

Did the Devil Make Them Do It? The Effects of Religion in Public Goods and Trust Games*

We test whether religious affiliation and participation in religious services are associated with behavior in public goods and trust games. Overall, religious affiliation is unrelated to individual behavior. However, we find some weak evidence that among subjects attending religious services, increased participation is associated with behavior in both public goods and trust games

An Experimental Study of the Effects of Inequality and Relative Deprivation on Trusting Behavior

Several non-experimental studies report that income inequality and other forms of population-based heterogeneity reduce levels of trust in society. However, recent work by Glaeser et al. (2000) calls into question the reliability of widely used survey-based measures of trust. Specifically, survey responses regarding trust attitudes did not reflect subjects' actual behavior in a trust game. In this paper, we conduct a novel experimental test of the effects of inequality on trust and trustworthiness. Our experimental design induces inequality by varying the show-up fees paid to subjects, in contrast to previous experiments that focus on broad cultural or national differences in trust. We do not find robust support for the hypothesis that inequality per se dampens trusting behavior among all subjects; however, we do find some evidence that trust and trustworthiness are influenced by an individual's relative position in the group. Finally, we confirm previous findings that common survey-based measures of social trust are not associated with actual trusting behavior

Inequality, Group Cohesion, and Public Good Provision: An Experimental Analysis

Recent studies argue that inequality reduces group cohesiveness and dampens support for expenditures on public goods and social programs. In light of competing theoretical explanations and mixed empirical evidence of the effect of inequality on public goods provision, we conduct a test using a public goods experiment. Our design introduces inequality by manipulating the levels and distributions of fixed payments given to subjects for participating in the experiment. When made salient through public information about each individual's standing within the group, inequality in the distribution of fixed payments reduces contributions to the public good for all group members

Social Capital and Contributions in a Public-Goods Experiment

Empirical studies from across the social and behavioral sciences find that social capital is associated with various measures of well-being, including economic growth and mortality. however, such evidence is plagued by concerns that survey-based measures of trust and participation are not meaningful; in particular, recent experimental evidence from trust games conducted by Edward L. Glaeser et al. (2000) calls into question the efficacy of the most prevalent measures of social capital employed in the literature

Iowa\u27s Sand Prairie State Preserves: Anomalous Grain-Size Distributions and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) Dates

Grain-size distributions and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates were obtained for the sand from Iowa\u27s five sand prairie state preserves, which are Behren\u27s Ponds and Woodland, Cedar Hills Sand Prairie, Kish-Ke-Kosh Prairie, Marietta Sand Prairie and Rock Island. OSL dates ranged from the late Pleistocene (15,560 years B.P.) to the very late Holocene (as recent as 590 years B.P.), indicating that the late Pleistocene and Holocene Epochs in Iowa have seen multiple episodes of aridity, which is consistent with results from the Nebraska Sand Hills and eolian sand stringers in southeastern Minnesota. The grain-size distributions were anomalous in that, compared with typical eolian deposits, the transition grain sizes between the traction I saltation populations and saltation I suspension populations were shifted toward coarser grains, and the percentage of sand in the suspension population was high. The anomalous grain-size distributions could not be explained by post-depositional weathering or poor sorting in the source region, but were consistent with the eolian transport of sand through grass prior to deposition. It is suggested that the anomalous grain-size distribution could be one of a set of criteria for distinguishing paleo-sand prairies from other buried bodies of eolian sand or sandstone

Observations of Binary Stars with the Differential Speckle Survey Instrument. II. Hipparcos Stars Observed in 2010 January and June

The results of 497 speckle observations of Hipparcos stars and selected other targets are presented. Of these, 367 were resolved into components and 130 were unresolved. The data were obtained using the Differential Speckle Survey Instrument at the WIYN 3.5 m Telescope. (The WIYN Observatory is a joint facility of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Indiana University, Yale University, and the National Optical Astronomy Observatories.) Since the first paper in this series, the instrument has been upgraded so that it now uses two electron-multiplying CCD cameras. The measurement precision obtained when comparing to ephemeris positions of binaries with very well known orbits is approximately 1-2 mas in separation and better than 0°.6 in position angle. Differential photometry is found to be in very good agreement with Hipparcos measures in cases where the comparison is most relevant. We derive preliminary orbits for two systems

Penalty structures and seterrence in a swo-stage model: Experimental evidence

Increasing penalty structures for repeat offenses are ubiquitous in penal codes, despite little empirical or theoretical support. Multi-period models of criminal enforcement based on the standard economic approach of Becker (1968) generally find that the optimal penalty structure is either flat or declining. We experimentally test a two-stage theoretical model that predicts decreasing penalty structures will yield greater deterrence than increasing penalty structures. We find that decreasing fine structures are more effective at reducing risky behavior. Additionally, our econometric analyses reveal a number of behavioral findings. Subjects are deterred by past convictions, even though the probability of detection is independent across decisions. Further, subjects appear to take the two-stage nature of the decision making task into account, suggesting that subjects consider both current and future penalties. Even controlling for the fine a subject faces for any given decision, being in a decreasing fine structure has a significant effect on deterrence

Psychometric Assessment of the PPDG: Utilizing Cronbach’s Alpha as a Means of Reliability

Introduction: Since the development of the 10 item Purdue Pharmacist Directive Guidance (PPDG) Scale several studies of the psychometric properties of the PPDG have been conducted. Although Cronbach’s alpha was calculated as a means of internal consistency reliability, a demonstration of the mean centering of the individual items from the instrument were not explored.Objectives: This study focused on investigating the mean stabilization of items within the PPDG as they pertain to Cronbach’s reliability coefficient calculation.Methods:Using item analysis procedures in SPSS, the mean stability of items within the general factor of directive guidance and subscales of instruction and feedback and goal setting were examined for the PPDG.Results:Mean stability scores for entire PPDG scale and the subscales of instruction and feedback and goal setting were strong. Also, corrected item-total correlations and Cronbach’s alphas following item deletion were good for the overall PPDG scale and the subscales.Conclusions: The results provide evidence to enhance understanding of the psychometric stability of the PPDG scale and its subscales