Publications [#265975] of Dan Ariely

Journal Articles

1. Ariely, D; Norton, MI, Psychology and experimental economics: A gap in abstraction, Current Directions in Psychological Science, vol. 16 no. 6 (December, 2007), pp. 336-339, SAGE Publications, ISSN 0963-7214 [Gateway.cgi], [doi]
   (last updated on 2026/01/17)

   Abstract:
   Experimental economics and social psychology share an interest in a widening subset of topics, relying on similar lab-based methods to address similar questions about human behavior, yet dialogue between the two fields remains in its infancy. We propose a framework for understanding this disconnect: The different approaches the disciplines take to translating real-world behavior into the laboratory create a "gap in abstraction," which contributes to crucial differences in philosophy about the roles of deception and incentives in experiments and limits cross-pollination. We review two areas of common interest - altruism and group-based discrimination - which demonstrate this gap yet also reveal ways in which the two approaches might be seen as complementary rather than contradictory. Copyright © 2007 Association for Psychological Science.