Experimental Design
The experiment utilizes a Mind Cheating Game adapted for a online survey platform (https://www.wjx.cn/). The design employs a 2×2 mixed structure (Between-subjects: Identity Prime vs. Control; Within-subjects: Individual vs. Competitive Schemes).
1. The Mind Cheating Game Protocol:
In each decision round, participants are presented with a set of 6 letters (A, B, C, D, E, F). The task follows a strict three-step sequence to ensure validity:
Mental Selection: Participants are asked to mentally select one letter from the set.
Confirmation: They must click a button to confirm they have made their mental selection.
Payoff Revelation & Reporting: Only after the mental selection is confirmed, a payoff table is displayed showing the hypothetical monetary value associated with each letter. Participants then report the letter they selected.
Crucially, the mapping of letters to monetary values is revealed only after the mental selection, ensuring that the decision to lie (by reporting a high-value letter different from the mental choice) is a reaction to the specific moral trade-off presented, unconfounded by prior selection bias.
2. Treatment Blocks and Randomization:
Each participant completes two distinct blocks of the game, with the order of blocks randomized to control for order and learning effects.
Individual Block (5 Rounds): Participants play 5 rounds where the payoff depends solely on their own reported letter.
Competitive Block (5 Rounds): Participants play 5 rounds under a tournament scheme. They are informed they are paired with another randomly selected participant. If their reported total value over the 5 rounds exceeds their partner's, their reward is doubled; otherwise, it is zero.
3. Payoff Structure and Balance:
To ensure strict comparability between the Individual and Competitive conditions, the mapping of letters to payoff amounts is varied across the 5 rounds but is kept structurally identical between the two treatment blocks. We generated a balanced pool of letter-to-payoff mappings. In each round, the displayed mapping is distinct. This design rules out the possibility that observed differences in honesty are driven by random variations in specific letter values rather than the competitive nature of the task.
4. Hypothetical Incentive Design:
Due to strict regulatory constraints and administrative barriers within the banking sector, we employ a hypothetical vignette design for the monetary incentives. Participants are instructed to make decisions as if the monetary consequences were real. While traditional economic experiments often use real stakes, a growing body of methodological literature (e.g., in management and behavioral ethics) suggests that hypothetical measures of dishonesty are highly correlated with incentivized behavior, particularly in field settings where professional reputation is salient. We will provide auxiliary analysis and references in the final paper to validate the external validity of this design choice.