Score contribution per author:
α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count
Cason and Plott (2014, hereafter CP) conclude that sub-optimal behavior in the (second price) Becker-DeGroot-Marschak mechanism (BDM) is consistent with the hypothesis that a significant proportion of subjects misconceive the BDM as a first price auction. We broadly replicate CP’s results, formalize a game form recognition theory for the analysis of treatment effects, and explore the robustness of CP’s conclusions across four treatments. We conclude that the pattern of misconception that explains the BDM data cannot simultaneously explain observed choices in closely related treatments.