The Institute has begun a new research project in collaboration with scholars from across the university that brings philosophers, ethicists, economists, and social scientists together to explore what behavioral economics can tell us about integrity while simultaneously asking how historical, cultural, and philosophical conceptions of integrity influence scientific inquiry.

Specifically, we aim to

• expand the discussion of dishonesty to consider a broad range of situational and social influences
• create models of the individual decision process that are informed by psychology and neuroscience
• carry out a set of experiments to examine academic integrity and cheating
• conduct a series of surveys to understand the relationship between academic integrity and other forms of integrity
• propose and seek to implement new ways in which Duke and other institutions can reduce cheating and promote integrity

Beyond promoting academic integrity, our research seeks to explore whether or not academic honesty spills over into other areas of daily life. If a student is likely to cheat on an exam, does that mean he is also likely to cheat on his girlfriend, or lie to his parents, or fudge his qualifications on a job application? Is academic integrity similar to or different than other forms of integrity? If we can develop effective means of promoting academic integrity does that mean we are making students more honest across other domains of their lives?

Ultimately, we expect our findings to shed light on the relations among mind, heart, and will and to directly address whether and how integrity can be inculcated. As we immerse ourselves in these new avenues of exploration, we will continue our efforts to help foster higher degrees of academic integrity here at Duke.