Reaction to Discrimination: Experimental Evidence (follow-up)

Last registered on January 22, 2026
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Reaction to Discrimination: Experimental Evidence (follow-up)
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0017725
Initial registration date
January 19, 2026

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
January 22, 2026, 1:47 PM EST

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

Locations

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information

Primary Investigator

Name
Vojtech Bartos
Affiliation
University of Milan
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Mara Pasquamaria Squicciarini
PI Affiliation
Università Bocconi
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Andrea Guariso
PI Affiliation
University of Milan - Bicocca
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Paolo Masella
PI Affiliation
University of Bologna
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Gianandrea Lanzara
PI Affiliation
University of Bologna
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Augusto Milani
PI Affiliation
Toulouse School of Economics
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2026-01-19
End date
2026-12-31
Keywords
Behavior
Additional Keywords
Discrimination
JEL code(s)
J15, C90, D91
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We study how racial minority group members behave towards victims of discrimination perpetrated by the majority group. We develop a novel incentivized experimental game and contrast generic behavior of minorities towards another individual (either an ingroup or an outgroup minority/majority group member) against their behavior following a situation when the other individual was subject to discrimination perpetrated by a majority group member. This follow-up trial, building on a trial AEARCTR-0015235, studies reactions to explicit situations of discrimination and distinguishes it from situations of explicit harm, without additional discriminatory intentions. We also randomly prime participants by their own past experience of discrimination to study the subsequent effects of their behavior. The project aims to fill the gap in our understanding of minority group member dynamics in a discriminatory setting.
External Link(s)
Original study

Registration Citation

Citation
Bartos, Vojtech et al. 2026. "Reaction to Discrimination: Experimental Evidence (follow-up)." AEA RCT Registry. January 22. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.17725-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

Sponsors

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
This trial is a follow-up to AEARCTR-0015235, the experimental design section describes the difference from the original study. As in the original study, the core intervention is a manipulation of the identity of the receiver in experimental games by randomizing between minority outgroup, majority outgroup and minority ingroup. We keep this identity fixed across all experimental games an individual player is asked to play. We also randomly prime participants by their own experience of discrimination to study the subsequent effects on their behavior.
Intervention Start Date
2026-01-19
Intervention End Date
2026-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Difference between the P2 behavior in the modified BDG/Explicit Discrimination manipulation and in the Dictator Game by the identity of the minority receiver. Exact definition follows the original study primary outcome description.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Difference between the P2 behaviour in the modified BDG/Full Harm manipulation. Exact definition follows the original study primary outcome description.

We also construct binary variables for helping and harming behavior for both games. Exact definition follows the original study secondary outcome description.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
This trial is a follow-up to AEARCTR-0015235. Details in the hidden part will be published when the study is published.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Software-based randomization.
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
3300 individuals
Sample size: planned number of observations
3300 individuals
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Black Respondents, Prime, Black P3: 550
Black Respondents, Prime, Hispanic P3: 550
Black Respondents, Prime, White P3: 550
Black Respondents, No Prime, Black P3: 550
Black Respondents, No Prime, Hispanic P3: 550
Black Respondents, No Prime, White P3: 550
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Power calculations (hidden): to detect a difference of 0.2 standard deviations (based on the previous experiment) between BDG and DG with conventional parameters (alpha = 0.05 and beta = 0.8) the size of a treatment arm should be around 550.
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Bocconi Research Ethics Committee
IRB Approval Date
2025-01-17
IRB Approval Number
RA000869
Analysis Plan