@techreport{BruttelNithammerStolley2019, type = {Working Paper}, author = {Bruttel, Lisa Verena and Nithammer, Juri and Stolley, Florian}, title = {"Thanks in Advance"}, series = {CEPA Discussion Papers}, journal = {CEPA Discussion Papers}, number = {7}, issn = {2628-653X}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-42770}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-427706}, pages = {18}, year = {2019}, abstract = {This paper studies the effect of the commonly used phrase "thanks in advance" on compliance with a small request. In a controlled laboratory experiment we ask participants to give a detailed answer to an open question. The treatment variable is whether or not they see the phrase "thanks in advance." Our participants react to the treatment by exerting less effort in answering the request even though they perceive the phrase as polite.}, language = {en} } @techreport{BruttelGuethHertwigetal.2020, type = {Working Paper}, author = {Bruttel, Lisa Verena and G{\"u}th, Werner and Hertwig, Ralph and Orland, Andreas}, title = {Do people harness deliberate ignorance to avoid envy and its detrimental effects?}, series = {CEPA Discussion Papers}, journal = {CEPA Discussion Papers}, number = {17}, issn = {2628-653X}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-44446}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-444463}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Envy is an unpleasant emotion. If individuals anticipate that comparing their payoff with the (potentially higher) payoff of others will make them envious, they may want to actively avoid information about other people's payoffs. Given the opportunity to reduce another person's payoff, an individual's envy may trigger behavior that is detrimental to welfare. In this case, if individuals anticipate that they will react in a welfare-reducing way, they may also avoid information about other people's payoffs from the outset. We investigated these two hypotheses using three experiments. We found that 13\% of our potentially envious subjects avoided information when they did not have the opportunity to reduce another participant's payoff. Psychological scales do not explain this behavior. We also found that voluntarily uninformed subjects did neither deduct less of the payoff nor less frequently than subjects who could not avoid the information.}, language = {en} } @techreport{BruttelFelgendreherGuethetal.2019, type = {Working Paper}, author = {Bruttel, Lisa Verena and Felgendreher, Simon and G{\"u}th, Werner and Hertwig, Ralph}, title = {Strategic ignorance in repeated prisoners' dilemma experiments and its effects on the dynamics of voluntary cooperation}, series = {CEPA Discussion Papers}, journal = {CEPA Discussion Papers}, number = {10}, issn = {2628-653X}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-43188}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-431881}, pages = {30}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Being ignorant of key aspects of a strategic interaction can represent an advantage rather than a handicap. We study one particular context in which ignorance can be beneficial: iterated strategic interactions in which voluntary cooperation may be sustained into the final round if players voluntarily forego knowledge about the time horizon. We experimentally examine this option to remain ignorant about the time horizon in a finitely repeated two-person prisoners' dilemma game. We confirm that pairs without horizon knowledge avoid the drop in cooperation that otherwise occurs toward the end of the game. However, this effect is superposed by cooperation declining more rapidly in pairs without horizon knowledge during the middle phase of the game, especially if players do not know that the other player also wanted to remain ignorant of the time horizon.}, language = {en} } @techreport{Bruttel2019, type = {Working Paper}, author = {Bruttel, Lisa Verena}, title = {Is There a Loyalty-Enhancing Effect of Retroactive Price-Reduction Schemes?}, series = {CEPA Discussion Papers}, journal = {CEPA Discussion Papers}, number = {5}, issn = {2628-653X}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-42768}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-427688}, pages = {25}, year = {2019}, abstract = {This paper presents an experiment on the effect of retroactive price-reduction schemes on buyers' repeated purchase decisions. Such schemes promise buyers a reduced price for all units that are bought in a certain time frame if the total quantity that is purchased passes a given threshold. This study finds a loyalty-enhancing effect of retroactive price-reduction schemes only if the buyers ex-ante expected that entering into the scheme would maximize their monetary gain, but later learn that they should leave the scheme. Furthermore, the effect crucially hinges on the framing of the price reduction.}, language = {en} }