The Effect of Creativity on Dishonest Behavior and the Way a Moral Prime Affects this Relationship

This study finds clear evidence of incomplete dishonesty. People do engage in dishonest behavior but do this only ‘a little bit’. In contrast, this study does not observe a relationship between creativity and dishonesty. Having a higher creativity score does not imply that an individual exhibits more dishonest. Moreover, this study does not observe a reduction in dishonesty through a moral prime. Subject who were confronted with a moral prime did not display more dishonest behavior compared to subjects who were not exposed to a prime. Finally, this study does not observe a difference in response to the prime concerning creative individuals compared to less creative individuals. Dishonest behavior of creative individuals influenced differently than dishonest behavior of less creative individuals.