Collaborative cheating and group confession: Findings from a natural experiment

This study is based on an incident of collaborative cheating by a group of postgraduate management students during an online quiz. There was direct evidence against eight students. Circumstantial evidence was found against another 49 in a class of 184 students (52.72% women, average age 24.03 years), and 28 of them confessed during the post-facto investigation. Gender and age were not significant factors for either cheating or confession. The students came from various educational backgrounds, which turned out as a significant factor in both cheating and confession. The results indicate that the likelihood of cheating in that course (Managerial Economics), and confessing after being charged, was significantly lower for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) graduates. Based on the content analysis of the confessors, I have developed a model of the decision-process accounting for self-conscious negative affect, and decision dilemmas owing to the anxiety of getting implicated and fear of social exclusion by peers. Negative affect has impacted everyone. Eight students confessed independently possibly because of overpowering anxiety. Others confessed in six groups to avoid social exclusion. The study highlights the importance of experimental research, as some of the findings differ from those obtained in surveys where the participants self-report dishonesty.