Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Types of Selection01:46

Types of Selection

Natural selection influences the frequencies of particular alleles and phenotypes within populations in several different ways. Primarily, natural selection can be directional, stabilizing, or disruptive. Directional selection favors one extreme trait and shifts the population towards that phenotype while selecting against individuals displaying alternate traits. Stabilizing selection favors an intermediate trait with a narrow range of variation. Deviation from the optimal phenotype towards an...
Competition02:34

Competition

When organisms require the same limited resources within an environment, they may have to compete for them. Competition is a net-negative interaction. Even if two competing individuals or populations do not interact directly, the overall fitness of both competitors is lowered as a result of not having full access to the limited resource.
Distribution and Dispersion00:54

Distribution and Dispersion

To understand intra-specific interactions in populations, scientists measure the spatial arrangement of species individuals. This geographic arrangement is known as the species distribution or dispersion. Highly territorial species exhibit a uniform distribution pattern, in which individuals are spaced at relatively equal distances from one another. Species that are highly tied to particular resources, such as food or shelter, tend to concentrate around those resources, and thus exhibit a...
Microbial Interactions: Competition01:26

Microbial Interactions: Competition

Microbial competition is an ecological interaction in which microorganisms vie for limited resources within shared environments. These resources may include nutrients, space, or light, depending on the system. The intensity and outcome of competition are influenced by the environmental context, such as nutrient availability, spatial constraints, and the diversity of microbial species present. These competitive interactions significantly influence the structure, function, and resilience of...
Probability Distributions01:32

Probability Distributions

The probability of a random variable x  is the likelihood of its occurrence. A probability distribution represents the probabilities of a random variable using a formula, graph, or table. There are two types of probability distribution– discrete probability distribution and continuous probability distribution.
A discrete probability distribution is a probability distribution of discrete random variables. It can be categorized into binomial probability distribution and Poisson probability...
What is Behavior?00:54

What is Behavior?

Behaviors are actions that an organism engages in—they can be related to finding food, reproducing, defending against threats, and many other possible actions. Behaviors include activities related to the environment around the animal—such as migration—as well as social interactions within a species or population. Many behaviors involve motor output—that is, muscle movements—while others involve less visible actions, such as learning.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

An information intervention in India reduces consumption of arsenic-contaminated drinking water and has small effects on health.

PNAS nexus·2026
Same author

Self-Help Plus for refugee mothers in Rhino Refugee Settlement, Uganda (SEED): study protocol for a cluster-randomized controlled trial assessing intergenerational effects on preschool-aged children.

Trials·2026
Same author

Combining mental health and climate-smart agricultural interventions to improve food security in humanitarian settings: study protocol for the THRIVE cluster-randomized controlled trial with mothers in Nakivale refugee settlement, Uganda.

Trials·2025
Same author

Household reduction of gas consumption in the energy crisis is not explained by individual economic incentives.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2024
Same author

The politicized pandemic: Ideological polarization and the behavioral response to COVID-19.

European economic review·2023
Same author

The effect of random shocks on reciprocal behavior in dynamic principal-agent settings.

Experimental economics·2023

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 12, 2026

A System for Tracking the Dynamics of Social Preference Behavior in Small Rodents
08:38

A System for Tracking the Dynamics of Social Preference Behavior in Small Rodents

Published on: November 21, 2019

Distributional preferences and competitive behavior.

Loukas Balafoutas1, Rudolf Kerschbamer, Matthias Sutter

  • 1University of Innsbruck, Austria.

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization
|April 12, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Spiteful individuals thrive under competition, winning tournaments more often. Controlling for other factors, gender differences in competition arise from social factors, not inherent willingness.

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral economics
  • Experimental economics

Background:

  • Distributional preferences significantly influence economic decision-making.
  • Understanding the drivers of competitive behavior is crucial for designing effective incentive schemes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To experimentally investigate the link between distributional preferences and competitive behavior.
  • To identify the factors contributing to the gender gap in willingness to compete.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental design involving tournaments and piece-rate schemes.
  • Measurement of subjects' distributional preferences (spiteful, efficiency-minded, inequality-averse).
  • Statistical controls for risk attitudes and past performance.

Main Results:

Keywords:
CompetitionDistributional preferencesGender gap

More Related Videos

Methods for Presenting Real-world Objects Under Controlled Laboratory Conditions
06:54

Methods for Presenting Real-world Objects Under Controlled Laboratory Conditions

Published on: June 21, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 12, 2026

A System for Tracking the Dynamics of Social Preference Behavior in Small Rodents
08:38

A System for Tracking the Dynamics of Social Preference Behavior in Small Rodents

Published on: November 21, 2019

Methods for Presenting Real-world Objects Under Controlled Laboratory Conditions
06:54

Methods for Presenting Real-world Objects Under Controlled Laboratory Conditions

Published on: June 21, 2019

  • Spiteful subjects exhibit the strongest response to competitive pressure, winning tournaments more frequently.
  • Efficiency-minded subjects prefer tournaments, while spiteful and inequality-averse subjects avoid them.
  • The gender gap in willingness to compete disappears when controlling for distributional preferences, risk attitudes, and past performance.

Conclusions:

  • Distributional preferences, particularly spitefulness, play a key role in competitive behavior.
  • Social and gender-related variables, rather than inherent differences in willingness, explain the observed gender gap in competition.
  • Findings have implications for workplace incentives and understanding gender dynamics in competitive environments.