Cheating in China and Germany: An experimental study of Situational Action Theory

• In Event: Morality and moral decision making

Abstract

According to Situational Action Theory (SAT), personal morality, perceived moral norms of the setting, and perceptual formal and informal deterrence are important causal determinants in explaining rule-breaking behavior once motivation initiates the perception-choice process. We report the results of an experiment designed to deepen our understanding of cheating, a special case of rule-breaking behavior, in Chinese and German contexts based on Situational Action Theory. We focus on 1) the independent and interaction effects of personal morality and perceived moral norms of the setting on cheating, 2) the conditional effects of perceptual formal and informal deterrence on cheating, and 3) the causal effects of perceptual formal and informal deterrence on cheating through perceived moral norms of the setting. In the experiment, participants in Germany and China play an online quiz game where they could earn an extra bonus through cheating. We experimentally manipulate formal and informal deterrence and moral norms of the setting, and measure participants' personal morality, perceived moral norms of the setting, and perceptual formal and informal deterrence.

Author

• Yue Yu, Department of Sociology and Social Psychology, University of Cologne