Abstract
We look at the links between the Digit Ratio—the ratio of the length of the index finger to the length of the ring finger—for both right and left hands, and giving in a Dictator Game. Unlike previous studies with exclusively Caucasian subjects, we consider a large, ethnically diverse sample. Our main results are as follows. First, for Caucasian subjects we estimate a significant positive regression coefficient for the right hand digit ratio and a significant negative coefficient for its squared measure. These results replicate the findings of Brañas-Garza et al. (2013), who also observe an inverted U-shaped relationship for Caucasian subjects. Second, we are not able to find any significant association of the right hand digit ratio with giving in the Dictator Game for the other main ethnic groups in our sample, nor in the pooled sample. Third, we find no significant association between giving in the Dictator Game and the left hand digit ratio.
Highlights
We report findings from a laboratory experiment with a large, multi-ethnic sample of subjects, where we investigate the link between subjects’ Digit Ratio (DR) and giving in a Dictator Game (DG), a measure of altruism
DIGIT RATIOS Table 2 summarizes the measures of the Left-Hand DR (LHDR) and Right-Hand Digit Ratio (RHDR), in aggregate, and by sex and ethnicity-specific subsamples
When we model the relationship between DR and DG giving as quadratic, we note that neither the DR nor its squared term is significant for the full sample
Summary
We report findings from a laboratory experiment with a large, multi-ethnic sample of subjects, where we investigate the link between subjects’ Digit Ratio (DR) and giving in a Dictator Game (DG), a measure of altruism. The different experimental games capture different aspects of social preferences, spanning from altruism (DG) and reciprocity (UG) to trust (TG) and cooperation (PGG). In all these experimental games, subjects are said to reveal social preferences if they take actions that diverge from standard Nash equilibrium predictions, notably the prediction that they will act to maximize their own earnings
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call