The Dark Side of Reciprocity

Last registered on December 16, 2022
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
The Dark Side of Reciprocity
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0010544
Initial registration date
November 29, 2022

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
December 16, 2022, 4:10 PM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country
Switzerland
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Johannes Buckenmaier
Affiliation
University of Zurich
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Carlos Alós-Ferrer
PI Affiliation
PI Name
Axel Ockenfels
PI Affiliation

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2022-12-01
End date
2023-01-31
Keywords
Behavior, Lab
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This preregistration describes a laboratory experiment to be conducted at the University of Zurich. The experiment investigates the (im)morality of reciprocity in a new behavioral economics paradigm. We describe the experimental design, the hypotheses, and sample size.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Alós-Ferrer, Carlos, Johannes Buckenmaier and Axel Ockenfels. 2022. "The Dark Side of Reciprocity." AEA RCT Registry. December 16. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.10544-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We investigate the (im)morality of reciprocity in a new behavioral economics paradigm.
Intervention Start Date
2022-12-01
Intervention End Date
2022-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Proportion of rewardP1 decisions by Player 2.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
See attached document.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization by computer.
Randomization Unit
Subjects are randomly assigned one of three roles (A, B, C) and matched into groups of three (perfect stranger matching with 3 types for 8 rounds). There are two within-subject treatments, that is, all subjects participate in both treatments. The order of the two treatments is randomized across sessions.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
We will run sessions with 12 groups (each consisting of 3 subjects) each until we have collected data from at least 130 groups.
Sample size: planned number of observations
We will run sessions with 36 subjects each until we have collected data from at least 390 subjects.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
We will run sessions with 12 groups (each consisting of 3 subjects) each until we have collected data from at least 130 groups.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials

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IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Human Subjects Committee of the Faculty of Economics, Business Administration, and Information Technology (University of Zurich)
IRB Approval Date
2022-07-26
IRB Approval Number
OEC IRB # 2022-059
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials