Y12W36VC The honest experiment on honesty

Contrary to what intuition or immediate understanding would predict; surprising because it conflicts with ordinary expectations about how things work.

Word Breakdown: counter- (against) + intuitive (understood immediately)

Word family: counterintuitively (adv.), counterintuitiveness (n.)

Synonyms: surprising, unexpected, paradoxical

Collocations: counterintuitive finding, counterintuitive result, seem counterintuitive

Example: The research finding that people return expensive wallets more often is counterintuitive because standard economic theory predicts the opposite.

A lack of agreement or consistency between two things; a difference or inconsistency that is noticeable and often problematic.

Word Breakdown: dis- (apart) + -crepancy (disagreement)

Word family: discrepant (n.)

Synonyms: inconsistency, divergence, gap

Collocations: significant discrepancy, discrepancy between, notable discrepancy

Example: The discrepancy between economic theory and empirical findings suggests that honesty is more complex than simple self-interest.

A statement about what is expected to happen in the future based on theory, evidence, or analysis. Predictions are tested against actual outcomes.

Word Breakdown: pre- (before) + -diction (saying)

Word family: predict (n.), predictable (n.)

Synonyms: forecast, projection, hypothesis

Collocations: economic prediction, make a prediction, prediction fails

Example: The prediction that people would keep expensive wallets proved incorrect; they were actually more likely to return them.

Strongly supported by evidence; able to withstand scrutiny or challenge; not easily overturned or disproved. In research, robust findings are reliable and consistent.

Word family: robustly (adv.), robustness (n.)

Synonyms: strong, solid, well-supported

Collocations: robust evidence, robust findings, robust result

Example: The honesty experiment's robust finding across 40 countries suggests that identity-based preferences for honesty are universal.

Serving to distinguish or recognise something as a particular thing or person; characteristic enough to allow recognition or pinpointing.

Word Breakdown: ident- (same) + -ifying (making)

Word family: identify (n.), identification (n.)

Synonyms: distinctive, characteristic, recognisable

Collocations: identifying information, identifying feature, identifying mark

Example: The wallets in the study contained identifying information like ID, which activated honesty because returning the wallet meant contacting the actual person.

The fundamental reason or reasoning behind an action, belief, or decision. A rationale explains the logic or purpose of something.

Word Breakdown: ration- (reason) + -ale (reason for)

Word family: rationalise (n.)

Synonyms: reason, reasoning, logic

Collocations: the rationale for, underlying rationale, provide a rationale

Example: The rationale for the study was to test whether economic self-interest truly motivates behaviour or whether other factors, like identity, matter more.

Following a planned, organised approach; done according to a system or method; regular and methodical rather than haphazard.

Word Breakdown: system- (arrangement) + -atic (relating to)

Word family: systematically (adv.), system (n.)

Synonyms: methodical, organised, orderly

Collocations: systematic approach, systematic review, systematic analysis

Example: The study employed a systematic research design, testing honesty across 40 countries with identical protocols.

Relating to or comparing two or more distinct cultures. Cross-cultural research tests whether findings generalise across cultural boundaries.

Word Breakdown: cross- (across) + cultural (relating to culture)

Word family: cross-culturally (adv.)

Synonyms: intercultural, multicultural

Collocations: cross-cultural study, cross-cultural research, cross-cultural comparison

Example: The cross-cultural nature of the honesty study across 40 countries showed that identity-based honesty is not limited to one culture.

Cohn and Maréchal's 2019 global field experiment testing honesty by leaving wallets with varying amounts of cash in public places across 40 countries. The study found that wallets with more money were returned more often, contradicting economic predictions.

Synonyms: honesty experiment, civic honesty study

Collocations: the wallet experiment found, in the wallet experiment, the wallet experiment showed

Example: The wallet experiment was groundbreaking because it tested honesty in real-world conditions rather than laboratory scenarios.

The tendency to act honestly in everyday interactions with strangers in public contexts. Civic honesty reflects whether ordinary people behave ethically toward unknown others outside formal or relational contexts.

Synonyms: public honesty, everyday honesty

Collocations: measure civic honesty, civic honesty across cultures, civic honesty levels

Example: The wallet experiment measured civic honesty by observing whether strangers would return found wallets to their owners.

The standard economic assumption that people act to maximise their own self-interest and material benefit; the theory that behaviour is driven by rational calculation of personal gain.

Synonyms: self-interested behaviour, rational egoism

Collocations: assume economic rationality, economic rationality predicts, contradict economic rationality

Example: Economic rationality would predict that people ignore wallets with small amounts of money, but the study found the opposite.

The idea that honesty serves the goal of maintaining a positive self-image rather than being motivated solely by material self-interest. People act honestly partly because they want to see themselves as good people.

Synonyms: identity motivation, self-image preference

Collocations: identity-based preferences explain, identity-based preferences matter, driven by identity-based preferences

Example: Identity-based preferences suggest that people return wallets to feel good about themselves, not just for reward.

Selectively analysing data until statistical significance appears; a form of research fraud where researchers manipulate analysis to achieve desired results rather than reporting genuine findings. P-hacking undermines research integrity.

Word family: p-hack, p-hacked

Synonyms: data mining, HARKing, research fraud

Collocations: accused of p-hacking, avoid p-hacking, p-hacking practices

Example: Good research design, like the wallet study's pre-registered protocols, guards against p-hacking.