In Predicatably Irrational, behavior economist Dan Ariely, contrives experiments to see if honest people will cheat. His conclusion is "yes" but not wildly. In other words, otherwise honest workers will take a pencil home from a conference but they wouldn't sack a laptop. In one experiment, he had participants write down the 10 commandments. His results showed that this group did not cheat. He generalized the results to include all professions. If doctors reminded themselves of the oath that they took when they received their license, fewer doctors would prescribe medicine in which they get a kickback from the drug company. The same could be said for all professions including teachers.
At Muscatine High School, we start each meeting with Principles and Agreements that imply that all present will treat each other fairly. Economic research confirms this practice.
No comments:
Post a Comment