Generosity in the laboratory
Our lab work explores the rules that allow generosity to occur and why generosity sometimes breaks down. Our laboratory studies are informed by the fieldwork and modeling components of the lab.
Our Laboratory Work Focuses On:
Risk-pooling
We developed a novel economic game that measures the behaviors of people when placed in volatile ecological environments and given the ability to ask for help from others.
Preventing exploitation
We are investigating the mental defenses that people use to prevent others from taking advantage of their generosity.
Rules of friendship
We are exploring friendship maintenance and the reasons behind the dissolution of friendships.
Empathy
We are conducting studies on the role of empathy in generosity in different contexts and towards different categories of people.