Figure 1
Experimental design and behavioral results.
(A) Participants first viewed a fixation cross for a variable ITI of 2–6 s followed by the presentation of a cue (1 s) indicating that participants had to perform the truthtelling task. The first, variable option was then shown for 3 s together with the true earning (31 cents per share). Below the option, the CEO compensation (and the corresponding participant payoff in parentheses) was presented. The payoff of the truthful option varied between CHF 1 and 5. After an interstimulus interval (2–6 s) the second, constant option (5 CHF) was presented together with the first option. The second option was the false report (35 cents per share). Upon presentation of the second option, participants had 2 s to indicate their choice by performing a button press. As soon as they pressed a button, the color of the written text on the screen changed from white to yellow to indicate that a response had been recorded. (B) The difference in the percentage of truthtelling between individuals with stronger and weaker honesty-related values increased as a function of cost. When the economic costs of truthfulness were high, participants with stronger honesty-related values (upper tercile) were more honest compared to those with weaker honesty-related values (lower tercile), suggesting that honesty-related values are more important in determining truthful decisions when the costs of truthfulness are higher. Error bars indicate SEMs.
