The Meaning of 'Deceive' in Experimental Economic Science

The Oxford Handbook of Professional Economic Ethics, George DeMartino and Deirdre McCloskey (eds.), Oxford University Press, 2016.

10 Pages Posted: 17 May 2015 Last revised: 2 Apr 2021

See all articles by Bart J. Wilson

Bart J. Wilson

Chapman University - Smith Institute for Political Economy and Philosophy; Chapman University - Economic Science Institute (ESI); Chapman University, The Dale E. Fowler School of Law

Date Written: March 4, 2014

Abstract

Deceiving someone in our everyday lives is a moral failing, one that we are adept at detecting and quick to judge in the words and actions of others. In our professional lives as economic scientists we are also quick to judge experimental procedures as deceptive, but we have problems articulating what that means. Rather than classifying experimental procedural details as deception or not based upon what experimenters and participants may or may not know about the experiment and each other, I propose a general rule for adjudging the actions of experimenters as deceptive: Did the experimenters mislead the participants by false appearance or statement? If the answer is yes, then the experimenters have deceived the participants.

Keywords: experimental economics, deception

JEL Classification: A13, B4, C90

Suggested Citation

Wilson, Bart J., The Meaning of 'Deceive' in Experimental Economic Science (March 4, 2014). The Oxford Handbook of Professional Economic Ethics, George DeMartino and Deirdre McCloskey (eds.), Oxford University Press, 2016., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2605112

Bart J. Wilson (Contact Author)

Chapman University - Smith Institute for Political Economy and Philosophy ( email )

One University Drive
Orange, CA 92866
United States
(714) 628-7306 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.bartjwilson.com

Chapman University - Economic Science Institute (ESI) ( email )

One University Drive
Orange, CA 92866
United States
(714) 628-7306 (Phone)

Chapman University, The Dale E. Fowler School of Law ( email )

One University Drive
Orange, CA 92866-1099
United States
(714) 628-7306 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.bartjwilson.com

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