Reciprocity, Social Image and Pro-Social Behavior: Experimental Evidence from Children Exposed to Violence in Colombia

Last registered on February 16, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Reciprocity, Social Image and Pro-Social Behavior: Experimental Evidence from Children Exposed to Violence in Colombia
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0013040
Initial registration date
February 14, 2024

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
February 16, 2024, 4:07 PM EST

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

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Natalia Candelo Londono
Affiliation
CUNY Queens College
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Sherry Xin Li
PI Affiliation
University of Arkansas
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2015-08-17
End date
2024-12-12
Keywords
Behavior, Crime, Violence, & Conflict
Additional Keywords
field experiment, reciprocity, image motivation, children, pro-social behavior
JEL code(s)
C9, D64
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We design a lab-in-the-field experiment to investigate the pro-social behavior of children aged 5 to 12 who were exposed to violence resulting from civil conflicts in Colombia. The children decide how to allocate their time to a real-effort task to earn money for themselves or a matched child-in-need in response to receiving a small low-visibility gift, a high-visibility gift, a choice between gifts, or no gift at all. Our study offers insights into government policies aimed at supporting children in regions affected by the ongoing turmoil due to internal conflicts in Colombia.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Candelo Londono, Natalia and Sherry Xin Li. 2024. "Reciprocity, Social Image and Pro-Social Behavior: Experimental Evidence from Children Exposed to Violence in Colombia ." AEA RCT Registry. February 16. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.13040-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Children receive a gift from the recipient in a type of dictator game that varies in visibility and personalization.
Intervention Start Date
2015-08-17
Intervention End Date
2024-12-12

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The amount shared with the child in need before and after the intervention.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
In the experiment, each child was given two plastic bowls, one blue and the other orange, and a large bag that contained 500 green and 500 yellow bingo chips, mixed beforehand, each about the size of a dime. The task was to separate and allocate the yellow chips between the two bowls. The yellow chips in the blue bowl were counted towards their earnings, and those in the orange bowl were counted towards earnings to be shared with a randomly matched child in need who was not a participant in this experiment. Each child was given 7 minutes to complete the task. Children make decisions twice in this task and receive the intervention before the second time they sort chips.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization done by a computer.
Randomization Unit
289 observations.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
289 observations.
Sample size: planned number of observations
289 observations.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Each treatment will have at least 30 observations, including the control groups.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
30 observations. Unit: Percentage of amount shared with the recipient, SD:0.06, 80%.
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Texas at Dallas IRB
IRB Approval Date
2014-05-09
IRB Approval Number
14-26
IRB Name
CUNY IRB
IRB Approval Date
2014-07-01
IRB Approval Number
2015-0532
IRB Name
CUNY IRB
IRB Approval Date
2022-05-17
IRB Approval Number
2022-0308-QC
Analysis Plan