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Utility and Social Consequences of Competition

Last registered on April 04, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Utility and Social Consequences of Competition
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0015723
Initial registration date
April 01, 2025

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 04, 2025, 12:55 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country
United States of America
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Jiarui Wang
Affiliation
Boston University
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2025-04-03
End date
2025-05-31
Keywords
Behavior, Education, Lab, Welfare
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Competition enhances performance and efficiency but can also have unintended consequences on individuals. While most existing research focuses on how people make strategic decisions during competition, this project examines the lingering utility and social consequences of competitive environments even after competition has ended. Using an online experiment, this study investigates the impact of competition on individual utility and social behavior
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Wang, Jiarui. 2025. "Utility and Social Consequences of Competition." AEA RCT Registry. April 04. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.15723-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The main intervention involves exposing participants in the treatment group to a competitive environment, while participants in the control group engage in the same task without any competitive element.
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2025-04-03
Intervention End Date
2025-05-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The key outcome variables are: (1) happiness, (2) fairness preferences, and (3) collaboration
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Participants are randomly assigned to either a treatment or control group. The treatment group performs a task under competitive conditions, while the control group completes the same task without any competitive element. After the task, all participants complete a survey measuring happiness, fairness preferences, and collaborative intention.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomized by a computer
Randomization Unit
Individual randomization
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
N/A
Sample size: planned number of observations
800-1600 participants
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
I plan to recruit approximately 200–400 participants per treatment arm.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Boston University Charles River Campus Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2025-04-01
IRB Approval Number
7916X
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