American Economic Review Vol. 112 No. 4 2022
Self-Persuasion: Evidence from Field Experiments at International Debating Competitions
open access
Abstract
Laboratory evidence shows that when people have to argue for a given position, they persuade themselves about the position’s factual and moral superiority. Such self-persuasion limits the potential of communication to resolve conflict and reduce polarization. We test for this phenomenon in a field setting, at international debating competitions that randomly assign experienced and motivated debaters to argue one side of a topical motion. We find self-persuasion in factual beliefs and confidence in one’s position. Effect sizes are smaller than in the laboratory, but robust to a one-hour exchange of arguments and a tenfold increase in incentives for accuracy.
- DOI
- 10.1257/aer.20200372
- Volume
- 112
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 1118-1146
- Language
- en
- Sources
- openalex bibtex:phds-export.bib crossref