Do short-term laboratory experiments provide valid descriptions of long-term economic interactions? A study of Cournot markets
通过对比持续一个多月的长期互联网实验与标准短期实验室实验，研究对称和不对称古诺双寡头市场中的行为差异，发现短期实验能有效反映长期互动行为。
Abstract One key problem regarding the external validity of laboratory experiments is their duration: while economic interactions out in the field are often lengthy processes, typical lab experiments only last for an hour or two. To address this problem for the case of both symmetric and asymmetric Cournot duopoly, we conduct internet treatments lasting more than a month. Subjects make the same number of decisions as in the short-term counterparts, but they decide once a day. We compare these treatments to corresponding standard laboratory treatments and also to short-term internet treatments lasting one hour. We do not observe differences in behavior between the short- and long-term in the symmetric treatments, and only a small difference in the asymmetric treatments. We overall conclude that behavior is not considerably different between the short- and long-term.