Experimental Methods : A Primer for Economists

Rating:
Summary: Terrific Introduction to Game Theory Experiments
Review: I recently used this book in an introductory course in experimental methods in political science, taught at Columbia University. (I used the book in a seminar for juniors but it would also be appropriate for first year graduate students.) The book was recommended to me by a leading experimentalist in political science, and its easy to see why. It is filled with practical suggestions, on everything from recruiting subjects, to writing instructions, to analyzing data. It's many references to the literature (as well as sample syllabi) are very helpful. It is also short and readable, and reasonably priced. One caveat: if you are more interested in the psychology tradition to laboratory experiments, there are more appropriate books. Also, it does not deal with field experiments. But if you are interested in the game theoretic/economic tradition of laboratory experiments, it is hard to beat as a practical introduction. In short, a terrific book. Charles Cameron Associate Professor of Political Science Columbia University