Honesty & Observability

Last registered on April 26, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Honesty & Observability
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0013185
Initial registration date
April 25, 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
April 26, 2024, 12:42 PM EDT

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
Jose Lopez
Affiliation
Florida State University
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2024-05-01
End date
2025-05-01
Keywords
Behavior
Additional Keywords
Lying, Observation, Experiment
JEL code(s)
D90
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We study reporting behavior when a fraction of subject decisions are observed by the experimenter. In a laboratory experiment, we utilize an adapted Fischbacher and Follmi-Heusi (2013) die-roll task to implement the intervention. We use this experiment to test equilibrium predictions of lying models that consider a social image cost.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Lopez, Jose. 2024. "Honesty & Observability." AEA RCT Registry. April 26. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.13185-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We vary the probability that the truth value of the subject's decision can be observed by the experimenter.
Our planned treatments:
0% probability of experimenter observation
20% probability of experimenter observation
50% probability of experimenter observation
100% probability of experimenter observation
Intervention Start Date
2024-05-01
Intervention End Date
2025-05-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Outcome variables of interest:
Aggregate reporting behavior
Individual reporting behavior of observed decisions
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We use an adapted version of the Fischbacher and Follmi-Heusi (2013) die-roll game.
In their standard game, 0% of subject decisions are observed by the experimenter.
Including this 0% treatment, we run 3 additional treatments. We observe 20%, 50%, and 100% of decisions, respectively.
We use a between-subjects design.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Treatments are implemented by computer randomization. We will first run the 0%, 100%, and 50% treatments. If the 50% treatment is closer to the 100% treatment, we plan to run a 20% treatment. If the 50% treatment is closer to the 0% treatment, we plan to run an 80% treatment.
Randomization Unit
Experimental sessions
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
45 sessions
Sample size: planned number of observations
900 subjects
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
900
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
FSU Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2024-02-26
IRB Approval Number
STUDY00004879
Analysis Plan

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