Lying Aversion and the Size of the Lie

This paper studies lying. An agent randomly picks a number from a known distribution. She can then report any number and receive a monetary payoff based only on her report. The paper presents a model of lying costs that generates hypotheses regarding behavior. In an experiment, we find that the highest fraction of lies is from reporting the maximal outcome, but some participants do not make the maximal lie. More participants lie partially when the experimenter cannot observe their outcomes than when the experimenter can verify the observed outcome. Partial lying increases when the prior probability of the highest outcome decreases. (JEL C91, D12, D90, Z13)

Factors Related to Adolescents' Level of Aspiration

Effects of success, failure, and a monetary payoff on the level of aspiration of American Indian and white adolescents were studied. Race, sex, grade, self-esteem, and locus of control were considered as potential mediating variables. A significant decrease in level of aspiration followed failure; the effect was more pronounced at the junior high level. Success led to a higher level of aspiration for adolescents with low self-esteem as did a monetary payoff. Implications of these results are discussed.

Effect of Size and Frequency of Money Reinforcement on Human Operant (Work) Behavior

40 college males were assigned by counterbalancing to four equal groups in a 2 × 2 factorial design which involved mean ratios of reinforcement of 1/500 and 1/2500, and magnitudes of monetary payoff of 1¢ and 25¢. The work was that of repetitively pulling a manipulandum against a constant tension spring requiring 25 lb. of force, horizontally, through 5/8 in. Analysis of variance showed significantly smaller work output for the 1¢ groups and for the 1/2500 ratio groups, for the 30-min. work period.