Open Science Tools / Pavlovia
4 minutes
The Ultimatum Game: Fairness Norms Override Pure Self-Interest
In the ultimatum game a proposer offers a split of a sum of money and a responder either accepts it or rejects it, in which case neither party receives anything. Responders frequently reject offers below about a fifth to a third of the total even though accepting would leave them better off, and proposers anticipate this. The pattern shows that fairness norms shape economic choices beyond material self-interest.