"Economic man" in cross-cultural perspective: behavioral experiments in 15 small-scale societies

Behavior and Brain Sciences • Vol/Iss. 28 • Published In • Pages: 795-855 •
By Henrich, Joseph, Boyd, Robert, Bowles, Samuel, Camerer, Colin, Fehr, Ernst, Gintis, Herbert, McElreath, Richard L., Alvard, Michael, Barr, Abigail, Ensminger, Jean, Henrich, Natalie Smith, Hill, Kim, Gil-White, Francisco, Gurven, Michael, Marlowe, Frank W., Patton, John Q., Tracer, David

Abstract

This article presents the results of economic behavior experiments conducted on members of 15 small scale societies. Although three different economic experiments were conducted, findings focus on the results of the "Ultimatum Game." The authors found that no society adhered to behavior predicted by the "selfishness axiom" which suggests that individuals will behave in a way that maximizes their own gain. Authors also discuss possible predictors of behavioral variation within and between groups.
Documents and Hypotheses Filed By: Jessie Cohen  Megan Farrer