Matching with non-induced preferences

Last registered on November 01, 2023

View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

Matching with non-induced preferences

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0012118

Initial registration date

October 26, 2023

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

November 01, 2023, 3:50 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country

Germany

Region

Primary Investigator

Name

Sarah Kühn

Affiliation

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Thomas Streck

PI Affiliation

Paderborn University

Contact Investigator

PI Name

Papatya Duman

PI Affiliation

Paderborn University

Contact Investigator

PI Name

Nadja Stroh-Maraun

PI Affiliation

Paderborn University

Contact Investigator

PI Name

Britta Hoyer

PI Affiliation

Additional Trial Information

Status

In development

Start date

2023-10-23

End date

2023-12-31

Keywords

Behavior, Lab

Additional Keywords

Matching

JEL code(s)

C78

Secondary IDs

Prior work

This trial is based on or builds upon one or more prior RCTs.

Abstract

As a matching takes the preference lists of the agents as input, the preferences have a leading role in matching experiments. However, the experimenters rely on induced preferences to simulate real-world applications. We investigate participants’ behavior in matching experiments given induced and non-induced preferences. Building on the experiment by Chen and Sönmez (2006), we investigate the most frequently used school choice mechanisms (Boston school choice mechanism, Deferred Acceptance mechanism and Top Trading Cycles mechanism). In our experiment, the monetary incentives are supplemented by incentivizing participants via own preferences. As a main contribution our paper demonstrates how induced and non-induced preferences change the participants behavior (e.g. truth-telling and understanding) given different mechanisms.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Duman, Papatya et al. 2023. "Matching with non-induced preferences." AEA RCT Registry. November 01. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.12118-1.0

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

Intervention Start Date

2023-10-23

Intervention End Date

2023-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

Truth-telling rates and Efficiency

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

We implement three matching mechanism each as a one-shot game with incomplete information. Each mechanism is tested by a control group with induced and a treatment group with non-induced preferences. We hereby create a 3 x 2 design.

Experimental Design Details

Randomization Method

randomization done by a computer

Randomization Unit

randomized assignment to group, randomization within group

Was the treatment clustered?

Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

6 (Treatment and control groups each with 3 mechanisms)

Sample size: planned number of observations

252

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

42 Deferred Acceptance Mechanism Treatment
42 Boston School Choice Mechanism Treatment
42 Top Trading Cycles Mechanism Treatment
42 Deferred Acceptance Mechanism Control
42 Boston School Choice Mechanism Control
42 Top Trading Cycles Mechanism Control

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB