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Reexamination of the Association Between Anonymity and Self-Interested Unethical Behavior in Adults

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Abstract

The well-established notion that the frequency of self-interested unethical behavior increases among anonymous people was reexamined employing a more strict definition of anonymity, voluntary unethical behavior, and adult individuals. Anonymity was defined as nonassociability of the participant’s traits with respect to unethical behavior. The participant’s identity and a monetary reward were manipulated as the independent variables, while cheating behavior was observed as the dependent variable. A sample of 143 undergraduate students were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 conditions (nonidentifiable-reward, identifiable-reward, nonidentifiable-nonreward, or identifiable-nonreward condition) to flip a coin twice in the experimental assignment. Results indicated that participants behaved differently depending on anonymity status and reward status. Implications for unethical behavior among anonymous individuals are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nagoya University, 87-64 Ikeura, Ikeura-cho, Anjo city, Aichi, 446-0066, Japan

    Tatsuya Nogami

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  1. Tatsuya Nogami
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Correspondence to Tatsuya Nogami.

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This study is based on portions of Tatsuya Nogami’s master’s thesis. Big thanks go to Jiro Takai, Masayuki Kurokawa, Marisna Yulianti, and Koichiro Ito for their advice and comments on the study and earlier versions of the manuscript.

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Nogami, T. Reexamination of the Association Between Anonymity and Self-Interested Unethical Behavior in Adults. Psychol Rec 59, 259–272 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395662

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