Predictably Irrational.

By Dan Ariely

Why We Are Dishonest, and What We Can Do about It

Group Presentation By
Swati Rai (21020189)
Manav Rao (21020746)
Saarthak Rastogi (21020302)
Introduction
In the following chapter, Dan Ariely is all about dishonesty. He has examined a diminishing
approach in ethics which is appropriate during a time of corporate scandals and financial rip-
offs. He examines and assesses the likelihood of people cheating for monetary benefit and ways
to deal with keep them authentic. The level of honesty his examinations unveil is particularly
fascinating. He furthermore finds how people distinguish between cheating and people who will
undoubtedly cheat if non-cash related things are involved.
Introduction
Ariely starts by portraying the upsetting degree of contemptibility in the public arena. He doesn't
simply allude to the burglary and thefts and that makes the news yet additionally middle-class
wrongdoing. All burglaries in the United States cost an expected $525 million every year except
worker robbery costs an expected $600 billion. Assessment misrepresentation costs an expected $350
billion dollars. Also, this is just the deceptive nature we can put a number on. There are likewise
government officials who acknowledge gifts and gifts from lobbyists as a trade-off for favors. There
are specialists getting the cash to advance a specific brand of medication regardless of whether it isn't
awesome for the patient. Reviews of legal counselors found most accept the law calling experiences an
absence of morals. Indeed, even geologists are blamed for misrepresenting and overstating information.
Which is all to avoid anything related to the monetary business.
 Harvard Experiments
• THE HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL holds a place of distinction in American
life.

• Set on the banks of the River Charles in Cambridge, Massachusetts; housed in

imposing colonial style architecture; and dripping with endowment money, the
school is famous for creating America's top business leaders.

• In the Fortune 500 companies, in fact, about 20 percent of the top three positions
are held by graduates of the Harvard Business School. What better place, then, to
do a little experiment on the issue of honesty ?
Case 1
 A group of Harvard undergraduates and MBA students would take a test consisting of 50
multiple-choice questions

 The questions would be similar to those on standardized tests (What is the longest river in
the world? Who wrote Moby-Dick} What word describes the average of a series? Who, in
Greek mythology, was the goddess of love?).

 The students would have 15 minutes to answer the questions. At the end of that time, they
would be asked to transfer their answers from their worksheet to a scoring sheet (called a
bubble sheet), and submit both the worksheet and the bubble sheet to a proctor at the front
of the room

 For every correct answer, the proctor would hand them 10 cents. Simple enough
Case 2
 On another occasion, we asked a different group of students to take the same general test, with one
important exception: the students in this section would take the test and transfer their work to their scoring
bubble sheets, as the previous group had done

 But this time the bubble sheet would have the correct answers pre-marked. For each question, the bubble
indicating the correct answer was colored gray. If the students indicated on their worksheet that the longest
river in the world is the Mississippi, for instance, once they received the bubble sheet, they would clearly
see from the markings that the right answer is the Nile.

 If the participants choose the incorrect answer on their worksheet, they might lie and mark the correct
answer on the bubble sheet at that time. They totaled how many questions they had answered correctly,
recorded that number at the top of their bubble sheet, then delivered both the worksheet and the bubble sheet
to the proctor at the front of the sheet after they had transferred their answers.

 The proctor counted how many questions they claimed to have answered properly (the total number at the
top of the bubble sheet) and awarded them 10 cents for each correct response. Would students try to cheat by
changing their incorrect responses to those already written on the bubble sheet?
Case 3
We'd test the group's integrity to the limit in the final condition.
They'd be told to throw away not only their original worksheet, but also the
final pre-marked bubble sheet this time. They wouldn't even have to tell the
experimenter about their earnings: They simply needed to walk up to the front
of the class, where we had placed a jar full of money, extract their winnings,
and saunter out the door once they were through shredding their work and
answer sheets. If you were ever tempted to cheat, this was your chance to carry
off the perfect heist.
 Case 4
● We gathered all of our participants. The first group of participants in this study completed our matrix math
test and gave their answers to the experimenter in the front of the room (who counted how many questions
they answered correctly and paid them accordingly). The second group did the test as well, but they were
instructed to fold their answer sheets, retain them in their possession, and notify the experimenter in the
front of the room how many of the issues they had correctly answered. They were paid appropriately by
the experimenter, and they were on their way.
● The third group was the experiment's most unique feature. Before they began, each of the participants was
required to sign the following declaration on the answer sheet: "I realise that this study is conducted under
the MIT honour system." They continued with the assignment after signing this statement. They pocketed
their answer sheets when the timer ran out, walked to the front of the room, told the experimenter how
many issues they had completed properly, and were paid accordingly.
 Conclusions
From the results are :-

 In control condition, in which cheating was not possible, participants solved on

average 3 problems (out of 20) .

 In second condition, in which the participant could pocket their answers, they
claimed to have solved on average 5.5 problems.

 In third condition , participants pocketed their answer sheets. But also signed the
honor statement.

 This outcomes was similar to the results we achieved with Ten Commandments.

 When a moral reminder eliminated cheating altogether.

 Conclusions
 We learned that people cheat when they have a chance to do so, but they
don’t cheat as much as they could. Moreover, once they begin thinking
about honesty – whether by recalling the Ten Commandments or by signing
a simple statement—they stop cheating completely.

 In other words, when we are removed from any benchmarks of ethical

thought, we tend to stray into dishonesty. But if we are reminded of
morality at the moment we are tempted, then we are much more likely to
be honest.
 Conclusions
 In the legal profession, Judge Dennis M. Sweeney of the Howard County (Maryland) circuit
published his own book, Guidelines for Lawyer Courtroom Conduct, in which he noted, "Most
rules, like these, are simply what our mothers would say a polite and well raised man or woman
should do. Since, given their other important responsibilities, our mothers (and yours) cannot be
in every courtroom in the State, I offer these rules.”

 From this experiments, it’s clear that oaths and rules must be recalled at, or just before, the
moment of temptation.
How to Reduce Dishonesty.
Students who could remember only one or two commandments were affected by them as the students
who remembered nearly all ten.

The indicated that it was not the commandments themselves encourages

honesty, but the mere contemplation of a moral benchmark of some
kind.

Dan proposed that if we got into the habit of signing our name to some secular statement – similar to a
professional oath-that would remind us of our commitment to honesty (Verified experimentally).
How to Reduce Dishonesty.
 Through Dan's experiments, it was concluded that oaths and rules must be recalled at, or just before,
the moment of temptation, rather than the occasional swearing.

 We can read the Bible, the Koran, or whatever reflects our values.

 We can revive professional standards.

 We can sign our names to promises that we will act with integrity.
Thank You