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Abstract
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Before
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
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After
Competition enhances performance and efficiency but can also have unintended consequences on individuals. While most existing research focuses on how people make strategic decisions in competition, this study explores the impact of competition on utility and examines how a competitive environment leaves a lasting imprint on individuals—shaping how they think, behave, and relate to others even after the competition has ended.
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Trial Start Date
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April 03, 2025
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After
June 04, 2025
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Trial End Date
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Before
May 31, 2025
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After
June 05, 2025
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Last Published
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Before
April 04, 2025 12:55 PM
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After
June 03, 2025 08:23 PM
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Intervention (Public)
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Before
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.
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After
The study includes two experimental interventions: competition or no-competition, and gain framing vs loss framing.
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Intervention Start Date
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Before
April 03, 2025
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After
June 04, 2025
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Intervention End Date
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Before
May 31, 2025
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After
June 05, 2025
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Primary Outcomes (End Points)
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Before
The key outcome variables are: (1) happiness, (2) fairness preferences, and (3) collaboration
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After
The key outcome variables are utility, task preference, zero-sum mindset, and social behaviors including collaboration and altruism.
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Experimental Design (Public)
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Before
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.
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After
Participants are randomly assigned to one of experimental conditions: competition-gain, competition-loss, no-competition-gain, or no-competition-loss. After completing a task in their assigned condition, participants complete a survey.
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Randomization Method
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Before
Randomized by a computer
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After
Participants are randomly assigned to one of four conditions with equal probability by enrolling in a study on Prolific. Participants who have previously participated in a treatment condition are not allowed to participate in others.
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Randomization Unit
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Individual randomization
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Individual-level randomization
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Planned Number of Observations
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800-1600 participants
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Approximately 800 participants
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Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
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Before
I plan to recruit approximately 200–400 participants per treatment arm.
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200 competition-gain, 200 competition-loss, 200 no-competition-gain, 200 no-competition-loss
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Power calculation: Minimum Detectable Effect Size for Main Outcomes
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After
Assuming α = 0.05, power = 0.80, and approximately 800 participants evenly distributed across four conditions, the minimum detectable effect size is approximately Cohen’s d = 0.30. The design is fully between-subjects with random assignment at the individual level.
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Keyword(s)
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Before
Behavior, Education, Lab, Welfare
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After
Behavior, Lab, Welfare
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Intervention (Hidden)
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Before
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After
The study includes two experimental interventions: (1) competition versus no competition—whether participants complete the task in a competitive context or not; (2) gain framing versus loss framing—whether the task emphasizes potential gains or losses.
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