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The game-theoretic innocence of experimental behavioral psychology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 November 2001

Don Ross
Don Ross
Affiliation:
School of Economics, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7700, South Africadross@humanities.uct.ac.za www.commerce.uct.ac.za/economics
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Abstract

Hertwig and Ortmann imply that failure of many behavioral psychologists to observe several central methodological principles of experimental economics derives mainly from differences in disciplinary culture. I suggest that there are deeper philosophical causes, based (ironically) on a legacy of methodological individualism in psychology from which economists have substantially cured themselves through use of game theory. Psychologists often misidentify their objects of study by trying to wrench subjects out of their normal behavioral contexts in games.

Type
Brief Report
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 24 , Issue 3 , June 2001 , pp. 426 - 427
Copyright
© 2001 Cambridge University Press

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