Measuring IdentityYan Chen, Michigan University Abstract Identity is a central concept in the social sciences. We present a laboratory experiment that measures the effects of induced group identity on participant social preferences. We find that when participants are matched with an ingroup member (as opposed to an outgroup member) they show more charity concerns when they have a higher payoff and less envy when they have a lower payoff. Likewise, while participants are more likely to reward an ingroup match for good behavior, they are less likely to punish an ingroup match for misbehavior. Furthermore, participants are significantly more likely to choose social-welfare-maximizing actions when matched with an ingroup member. All results are consistent with the notion that participants are more altruistic towards an ingroup match. As a result, ingroup matching generates significantly higher expected earnings. Keywords: Social identity, Social preference, Experiment. |