Theories of reasoning and focal point play with a matched non-student sample

Dai, ZHIXIN and Zheng, Jiwei and Zizzo, Daniel J. (2020) Theories of reasoning and focal point play with a matched non-student sample. Working Paper. The Department of Economics, Lancaster.

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Abstract

We present a coordination game experiment testing the robustness of the predictive power of level-k reasoning and team reasoning in a sample of Chinese tax administrators that is matched for likely socio-economic characteristics with our student sample. We show how the incidence of coordination game play is virtually identical between Chinese tax administrators and university students. However, relatively to non-students, students are comparatively more attracted by the focal point under team reasoning when this has equal payoffs and the other outcomes do not.