You’ve Got Three Choices: Give in, Give up, or Give it All You’ve Got: Does Contest Heterogeneity Affect Effort in Individual Competitions?

Abstract

This study focuses on the effect of contest heterogeneity on individuals’ effort provision in rank-order tournaments. We add to the literature by analyzing data from a well-suited setting (professional darts tournaments) that differs significantly from those previously examined (mental effort task without direct interaction between contestants), while applying two different temporal types of heterogeneity, pre-contest and within-contest heterogeneity. We do not find consistent evidence for heterogeneity to influence players’ effort.