caa a22 4500 605489068 CHVBK 20210128100458.0 cr unu---uuuuu 210128e20150601xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10683-014-9394-z doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10683-014-9394-z Does anonymity affect the willingness to accept and willingness to pay gap? A generalization of Plott and Zeiler [Elektronische Daten] [Alexander Brown, Gregory Cohen] Conventional value-elicitation experiments often find subjects provide higher valuations for items they posses than for identical items they may acquire. Plott and Zeiler (Am Econ Rev 95:530-545, 2005) replicate this willingness-to-pay/willingness-to-accept "gap” with conventional experimental procedures, but find no gap after implementing procedures that provide for subject anonymity and familiarity with the second-price mechanism. This paper investigates whether anonymity is necessary for their result. We employ both types of procedures with and without anonymity. Contrary to predictions of one theory—which suggest social pressures may cause differences in subject valuations—we find, regardless of anonymity, conventional procedures generate gaps and Plott and Zeiler's does not. These findings strongly suggest subject familiarity with elicitation mechanisms, not anonymity, is responsible for the variability in results across value-elicitation experiments. As an application to experimental design methodology, there appears to be little need to impose anonymity when using second-price mechanisms in standard consumer good experiments. Economic Science Association, 2014 Endowment effect nationallicence Experimental design nationallicence Elicitation nationallicence Social preferences nationallicence Anonymity nationallicence Brown Alexander Department of Economics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA aut Cohen Gregory Department of Economics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA aut Experimental Economics Springer US; http://www.springer-ny.com 18/2(2015-06-01), 173-184 1386-4157 18:2<173 2015 18 10683 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10683-014-9394-z text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10683-014-9394-z text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Brown Alexander Department of Economics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Cohen Gregory Department of Economics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Experimental Economics Springer US; http://www.springer-ny.com 18/2(2015-06-01), 173-184 1386-4157 18:2<173 2015 18 10683