Doctoral Dissertation Research in Economics: Social Comparisons in Peer Effects

了解社会从众的来源很重要，因为它是一种影响社会和经济结果的非常普遍的现象。 遵循社会规范的经济模型假设人们要么是因为物质激励，要么是为了避免惩罚。 该研究项目将使用经济理论和实验室实验来研究为什么人们在没有物质激励的情况下遵守社会规范，或者因为偏离这些规范而受到惩罚。该理论基于这样一种观点，即个人希望以积极的方式评价自己，但缺乏直接的方式来评价自己。 因此，人们会通过观察同伴的行为来形成自己的积极形象，从而使自己形成更好的形象。 比较一？的行为对他们的同行？这会使我们更好地理解不需要物质奖励或惩罚的社会一致性。 研究人员将进行实验室实验来验证这一理论。 这一研究项目的结果将为制定加强社会凝聚力的政策提供投入。 该项目将支持博士论文研究，因此有助于美国经济研究资本的增长和经济学研究的全球领导地位。 基于制裁、社会信号或遵守社会规范的社会从众的经济学理论无法解释为什么那些行为不太可能被他人看到的人会从众，也无法解决同伴效应可能很强的环境。 本研究旨在通过一个统一的理论和两个实验，加深对为什么在没有物质激励的情况下会出现社会从众的理解。该理论认为，个人有一种内在的愿望，要积极地评价和评价自己。 由于缺乏客观的自我评价手段，个人依赖社会比较来更好地了解他们的选择揭示了什么。 通过从自我形象中推导出行为一致性，该模型建立了一个没有可观察到的激励或社会耻辱压力的同伴效应范围。 然后进行两个实验来测试这个模型的预测。 第一个实验测试个体是否遵循与自我形象评价唯一一致的同伴效应模式。 第二个实验测试是否一个嘈杂的信号减轻同行的影响混淆的信息同行行为提供。 社会互动对个人决策的影响是相当广泛的，更好地了解如何通过社会比较自我评价驱动社会整合将提供解释这种现象的实证观察，以及提供信息，当同行的影响可能是强大的政策制定者。 该研究项目的结果具有许多更广泛的影响，不仅从应用到经济学领域，而且在公共政策，商业，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估而被认为值得支持。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过评估而被认为值得支持使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

Understanding the sources of social conformity is important because it is a very common phenomenon that affects social and economic outcomes. Economic models of conforming to social norms assume that people conform either because of material incentives or to avoid punishment. This research project will use economic theory and laboratory experiments to study why people conform to social norms when there are no material incentives to do so or punishment for deviating from those norms. The theory is based on the idea that individuals want to judge themselves in a positive way but lack a direct way of evaluating themselves. As a result, individuals look at the actions of their peers to form the positive image of themselves, allowing them to form a better image of themselves. Comparing one?s behavior to their peer?s lead to a better understanding of social conformity that does not require material incentives or punishment. The researchers will then conduct laboratory experiments to test this theory. The results of this research project will provide an input into the formulation of policies to enhance social cohesion. The project will support a doctoral dissertation research and therefore contributes to growth of US's economic research capital and global leadership in economics research. Economic theories of social conformity based on sanctions, social signaling, or adherence to social norms cannot explain why there is conformity among those whose actions are not likely to be seen by others, nor do they address the environment in which peer effects may be strong. This research project seeks to deepen understanding of why social conformity arises in the absence of material incentives with a unified theory and two experiments. The theory posits that individuals have an intrinsic desire to judge and evaluate themselves positively. Lacking objective means of self-evaluation, individuals rely on social comparisons to better understand what their choices reveal about themselves. By deriving behavioral conformity from self-image, the model establishes a scope for peer effects without observable incentives or the pressures of social stigma. Two experiments are then conducted to test the predictions of this model. The first experiment tests whether individuals follow a pattern of peer effects that is uniquely consistent with self-image evaluation. The second experiment tests whether a noisier signal mitigates peer effects by garbling the information peer-behavior provides. The effects of social interaction on individual decisions is quite broad and a better understanding of how self-evaluation through social comparisons drives social conformity will provide explanation of empirical observations of this phenomenon as well as provide policy makers with information as to when peer effects are likely to be strong. The results of this research project have many broader impacts, not only from application to fields of economics, but also in areas of public policy, business, and education.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.