Conscientiousness

Honor

Social psychology

Academic integrity

Deception

Trait

Operating system

Cheating

Extraversion and introversion

Developmental psychology

Openness to experience

Computer science

Internet privacy

Dishonesty

Big Five personality traits

Psychology

Applied psychology

Academic dishonesty

Programming language

Personality

Ethics & Behavior

Most university students have engaged in some form of academic dishonesty. These actions can have detrimental consequences for the student, the university, and society at large. It is important to understand factors that contribute to academic dishonesty as well as to identify potential predictors of this behavior. This study employed an experimental design with 361 undergraduate students in a laboratory setting. Deception was used during the experiment to determine the impact of peer influence, personality, and an honor code on cheating behavior. Results revealed that peer influence had the largest impact on cheating behavior. In addition, personality, specifically, individuals who scored high on the openness trait were significantly more likely to cheat than those who scored lower on this trait. Implications of these findings for addressing academic dishonesty in higher education are provided.

The Effects of Peer Influence, Honor Codes, and Personality Traits on Cheating Behavior in a University Setting