From Selsh to Sel ess

This study investigates behavior and beliefs regarding fairness. The main goal is to examine whether putting oneself in another's shoes enhances fairness in subsequent decisions. To test that, an experiment, involving real incentives, was designed and conducted. In this experiment, students were asked to rst predict another's choice and then choose for them-selves or to rst choose for themselves and then predict another's choice. Afterwards, the subjects' associations regarding fair and unfair behaviors were elicited. Evidence supported the theories of perspective-taking, anchoring, the consensus eect and the egocentric fairness bias, while the theories of empathy gap and cognitive dissonance were refuted. Perspective- taking, anchoring and the consensus eect correctly predicted that thinking of another's choice prior to one's own choice, does not enhance fairness. The subjects also reported that they perform a greater amount of fair than unfair actions, while others perform the same amount of fair and unfair actions. Hence, subjects were found to believe that they are fairer than others (egocentric fairness bias), although they previously acted the same way others did. Thus, an unresolved cognitive dissonance between beliefs and actions was found.