Q&A
Do Monetary Incentive and Depressive/Anxious Traits Influence Cheating Behaviour? 

by Gurjot (Joey) Chhina

Supervisor: Dr. Evan Lopes

Abstract:

Cheating is an ongoing issue that is in countless contexts in the world of academics. Challenges arise when differentiating what is accidental versus deliberate for students and faculty alike. This study examined how monetary incentive can affect cheating behaviour, while also taking into consideration depressive and anxious traits. These factors were studied in the context of a difficult trivia test where each question was incentivized in order to provide participants with a motivation to perform well. We predicted that receiving answers and the monetary incentive would result in amplified cheating behaviour across individuals. Further, we hypothesized that those who have depressive and anxious traits would have greater cheating behaviour than those without the aforementioned traits. Findings revealed no significance between cheating behaviour, and depressive and anxious traits. Future studies could adapt this study’s methods to continue the exploration of the influence of mental health issues on academic cheating.