A. Additional Results
A.1. Attention to Merit / Luck / Merit and Luck information and Allocations
Figure 8: The Effect of Attention to Merit, Luck, and Merit and Luck Information on Allocations to Other.
A.2. Inequality and the Self-serving Bias
Table 10: The Effect of Multiplier on Allocations to the Other.
The model is a linear regression, with standard errors clustered at the individual level and controlling for individual characteristics. List of controls: age (5 categories), gender (3 categories), nationality (12
categories), education (5 categories), income (6 categories), political leaning (8 categories).
Dependent variable: share of the surplus given to the receiver.
M5: Multiplier 5; M7: Multiplier 7. Adv: Advantaged.
A.3. Information Avoidance and the Self-serving Bias
Table 11: The Multiplier and Status Effects on Self-serving Allocations, by type of information avoided.
The model is a linear regression, with standard errors clustered at the individual level and controlling for individual characteristics. List of controls: age (5 categories), gender (3 categories), nationality (12
categories), education (5 categories), income (6 categories), political leaning (8 categories).
Dependent variable: percentage of self-serving bias (difference between deserved percentage according to meritocratic norms and the percentage kept to self), when merit information is avoided (Column 1), when luck information is avoided (Column 2), and when outcome information is avoided
(Column 3).
A.4. Differences in Gender Preferences for Redistribution
Table 12 (left): The Effect of Self-Assessed Political Leaning on Share Given to the Receiver.
The model is a linear regression, with standard errors clustered at the individual level.
Dependent variable: Share given to the other.
Table 13 (right): Gender Differences in Share Given to the Receiver.
The models are linear regression, with standard errors clustered at the individual level.
Dependent variable: share given to the other.
Production: average number of correct answers of individuals in moving sliders task.
A.5. Attention to Self / Other Information and Allocations
Table 14 (left): The Effect of Attention to Self Information on Share Kept to Self.
The model is a linear regression, with standard errors clustered at the individual level and controlling for individual characteristics. List of controls: age (5 categories), gender (3 categories), nationality (12
categories), education (5 categories), income (6 categories), political leaning (8 categories).
Dependent variable: share of the surplus kept to self.
Table 15 (right): The Effect of Attention to Other’s Information on Share Given to the Other.
The model is a linear regression, with standard errors clustered at the individual level and controlling for individual characteristics. List of controls: age (5 categories), gender (3 categories), nationality (12
categories), education (5 categories), income (6 categories), political leaning (8 categories).
Dependent variable: share of the surplus given to the receiver.
Table 16 (left): The Effect of Attention to Self Information and Multiplier on Share Kept to Self.
The model is a linear regression, with standard errors clustered at the individual level and controlling for individual characteristics. List of controls: age (5 categories), gender (3 categories), nationality (12
categories), education (5 categories), income (6 categories), political leaning (8 categories).
Dependent variable: share of the surplus kept to self.
Table 17 (right): The Effect of Attention to Other’s Information on Share Given to the Other.
The model is a linear regression, with standard errors clustered at the individual level and controlling for individual characteristics. List of controls: age (5 categories), gender (3 categories), nationality (12
categories), education (5 categories), income (6 categories), political leaning (8 categories).
Dependent variable: share of the surplus given to the receiver.
B. Experiment Instructions, Comprehension Questions and Surveys
B.1. Instructions and Comprehension Questions
Instructions for Part 1
Welcome!
This is a study for my Master's Thesis in Neuroeconomics at the University of Amsterdam, supervised by Dianna Amasino.
The completion of this study lasts about 20 minutes.
This study was submitted to an Ethics Approval. Your participation is anonymous.
However, your data will be matched with your email, which you are asked to provide, in case you want to receive your payoff. If you are not comfortable with leaving your email, you do
not have to, but you will not be eligible for the payoff.
To be eligible for the payoff, you also have to complete the study.
To participate in this study, you have to use a desktop or a laptop, preferably with a mouse instead of a mousepad (but both work).
Thank you!
Rafaela Pinto
I hereby declare that I want to participate.
Please, do not reload the pages nor go back to previous pages throughout the study.
Moreover, turn off any possible distractor (music, etc.).
Of the participants in this study, 4 will be randomly selected to receive their payoff.
For this study, you will be paired with another participant.
Your payoff depends on:
- your performance;
- the other participant's performance;
- your decisions;
- luck.
This study consists of 3 parts:
In part 1, you will do 3 tasks.
In part 2, you will make 9 division decisions, in 9 rounds.
Finally, you will answer 2 brief surveys.
Instructions for parts 1 and 2 will be provided before each of them.
In case you are selected to receive your payoff, you will receive the monetary amount earned in ONE round of part 2.
In part 1, you will do 3 tasks.
The tasks are all the same.
The task is to move each slider to the exact requested value with your mouse, as the image below illustrates.
As you move your mouse, you will see the respective value on the right.
There will be a countdown timer, as the example image shows.
As you scroll down to move more sliders, do not worry for not seeing the timer.
When the 2 minutes are over, you will automatically be directed to the next page.
For each correct answer, you will get a monetary reward.
Your total earnings for each task will be added to those of the other participant* into a common account.
Your earnings + other's earnings = common account
There are two possible pay rate levels:
- you ALWAYS receive more per correct answer (higher pay rate) than the other participant
OR
- you ALWAYS receive less per correct answer (lower pay rate) than the other participant
It will be randomly decided which pay rate level you get.
Luck will decide your pay rate level.
You will be informed about your pay rate level later.
*NOTE: You will make choices for a variety of possible scenarios that could occur.
If you are chosen for the payoff, then one of your decisions will be played out with other actual participant who most closely matches the task performance on that decision round.
While not all scenarios you see will be played out, any of them could be chosen for the payoff round, and you should treat each as if it were going to be chosen for a payoff.
Comprehension Questions and Correct Answers for Part 1:
Please, say if the following statements are True (T) or False (F), to ensure that you understood the instructions.
The participant you will be paired with is hypothetical; only if you are selected to receive your payoff, he/she is a real participant.
TRUE
Your payoff does not depend on luck.
FALSE – Your payoff depends on luck, among other factors.
Your payoff depends on your performance.
TRUE
Next, you will do 3 different tasks.
FALSE – Next, you will do 3 tasks, which are all the same.
Instructions for Part 2
Luck has decided that:
You always get a HIGHER(/LOWER) PAY RATE than the other participant.
Note: your pay rate can still vary from one round to the next.
In part 2, you will make 9 division decisions (9 rounds).
In each round, you will decide how much of the common account you want to keep for yourself and how much you want to give to the other participant.
In each round, a different scenario will be presented to you.
Before each of the 9 division decisions, you will see a screen with information about how you and the other participant contributed to the common account in that round
There are 3 kinds of information you will see:
CORRECT ANSWERS
The number of correct answers you and the other participant each got in part 1 (moving sliders task). For each round, this number will be randomly selected from one of the three tasks you did in part 1.
PAY RATE
How much you and the other participant receive per correct answer. By now, you only know if you are getting paid more or less than the other participant, but you will see the exact pay rate for each.
MONETARY CONTRIBUTION
The earnings you and the other participant each contributed on the task. This depends on the correct answers and the pay rate. Monetary contribution = correct answers x pay rate.
This information will be hidden in boxes, as in the example below.
If you hover the mouse cursor over a box, you will see the underlying information.
You will have the opportunity to get familiar with this screen in a practice trial later.
This information will be available for 10 seconds.
The countdown timer will start as soon as you see the information page, so make sure you are ready and paying attention to the screen.
Within this time limit, you can decide which and how many boxes to open. Boxes can be opened more than once.
In summary:
- In 9 rounds you will divide a common account earned by yourself and another participant.
- Each participant's contribution depends on the number of correct answers and the pay rate.
- For each round, your number of correct answers will be randomly selected from one of the three tasks you did in part 1.
- Before the division, you can inform yourself about the number of correct answers, the pay rate, and the monetary contribution by hovering your cursor over information boxes, for 10
seconds.
- If you are selected for payoff, 1 decision from one of the 9 rounds will be played out and determine your and the other participant's payoffs.
Comprehension Questions and Correct Answers for Part 2:
Please, say if the following statements are True (T) or False (F), to ensure that you understood the instructions.
A different scenario will be presented to you in each round and, if you are selected to receive your payoff, one of them will be played out.
TRUE
Your number of correct answers for each round is randomly selected from one of the previous tasks.
TRUE
Monetary contribution depends on the number of correct answers only.
FALSE – Monetary contribution depends on the number of correct answers and on the pay rate.
Your pay rate is the same for all rounds.
FALSE – Your pay rate can vary from one round to the other; however, it will always be higher/lower than the other participant’s pay rate, as determined before.
Click on the button to proceed to a practice round10. Its only purpose is to make you familiar with the layout of the rounds.
The 10 seconds timer will be displayed; however, you can spend as much time as you need in the page.
10 The practice round consisted of an information screen, followed by a division decision screen, exactly like in a real round.
B.2. Screens of the most important phases of the experiment
Figure 9: Moving Sliders Task Screen.
Screens for Tasks 2 and 3 were the same, only changing the respective number in the blue header section.
Figure 10: Information Screen.
Figure 11: Division Decision Screen.
The participant saw the amount kept to self and the amount given to the receiver updated as he/she moved the slider.
B.3. Surveys
Fairness Survey:
You finished part 2.
Please, answer the questions below.
"Morally appropriate" refers to an action that is "correct", "fair", or "ethical" according to your values and morality.
To what extent did information on pay rates influence your division decisions?
Not at all Somewhat influenced Influenced a lot It depended
If you answered "it depended", when did information on pay rates influence your division decisions?
In your view, how fair was it that luck played a role in determining each participant's monetary contribution?
Very unfair Somewhat unfair Somewhat fair Very fair
Demographics Survey:
Please, fill in this brief demographic survey.
Gender
Male Female Non-binary/third gender Prefer not to say
Age
Choose your option
Nationality
Education - what is the highest degree/level of school you have completed?
Choose your option
Political leaning* - thinking of your political views, where would you place these in this scale?
[Left] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 [Right]
Prefer not to say
Where are you positioned in the "income ladder" of society?*
Low class
Low middle class Middle class High middle class High class
Prefer not to say
Email address (You will be contacted in case you are selected to receive your payoff)