The effects of probability of test success,test importance,and risk of detection on the incidence of cheating

This study attempts to investigate the incidence of test cheating under various situational conditions. Twenty four fifth and sixth grades (611 pupils) were randomly assigned to treatment conditions formed by all possible combinations of the three variables being studied: high or low probability of test success, high or low risk of detection, and high or low test importance. The highest incidence of cheating occurred in groups under the combination of conditions of low probability of test success, low risk of detection, and high test importance. The results were discussed in terms of the extent of risk (of being caught cheating) vs. the extent of the “payoff” (i.e. avoiding failure) as they each affect test cheating.