Revisiting Gino et al.’s (2009) Contagion and Differentiation in Unethical Behavior: A Registered Conceptual Replication and Extension

Individual behavior is often shaped by observing others’ actions. The seminal and widely cited Experiment 1 by Gino, Ayal, et al. (2009) found that individuals are more likely to behave dishonestly after witnessing blatant dishonest behavior by an ingroup member than by an outgroup member. However, because there was no strict baseline condition in the original study, where participants would be exposed to the dishonesty of others without any in/outgroup signals, it remains unclear whether the original effect is driven by ingroup contagion, outgroup differentiation, or both. Furthermore, because that experiment used natural groups only, it also remains unclear if distinct properties of natural groups are necessary, or if mere categorization into arbitrary groups suffices. In this registered report, we propose to test their general hypothesis that exposure to ingroup dishonesty norms increases individual dishonest behavior more than exposure to outgroup dishonesty norms does. Using validated procedures for studying dishonesty norms, we propose a conceptual replication and extension of Gino, Ayal, et al.'s (2009) Experiment 1. We will test their general hypothesis in both minimal and natural groups with 3,600 U.S. Americans. In the treatment conditions, participants will be exposed to standardized information about others’ dishonest behavior, where we will systematically vary the group identity signals of those dishonest others, and then allow participants to cheat and double their experimental earnings. Findings will bolster understanding of how group identity-based dishonesty norms affect individual dishonesty by clarifying mechanisms and generalizability of the effect.