Cash and alternate methods of accounting in an experimental game

Four methods of communication are compared in the Trust Game [Berg, J., Dickhaut, J., McCabe, K., 1995. Trust, reciprocity and social history. Games and Economic Behavior 10, 122–142]. In different treatments, subjects exchange currency, use play money or write down how much they send and return. The final variation is the “strategy method,” in which the responder makes a choice for every possible amount sent. The amount sent and propensity to send the entire $10 did not vary among formats, but responders returned less of the available funds and were more likely to return zero in the original, cash method. Choices in the strategy method were similar to choices using the game methods.