Pre-analysis plan: Cooperation in online lab and real-life outcomes

Last registered on January 28, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Pre-analysis plan: Cooperation in online lab and real-life outcomes
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0017737
Initial registration date
January 22, 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 28, 2026, 7:32 AM EST

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

Locations

Country
Denmark
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Toke Fosgaard
Affiliation
Technical University of Denmark
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2008-05-01
End date
2008-05-30
Keywords
Behavior, Crime, Violence, & Conflict, Education, Environment & Energy, Finance & Microfinance, Health, Lab, Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial is based on or builds upon one or more prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study examines whether cooperative behavior measured in an online economic experiment predicts real-world outcomes. The experiment was conducted in 2008 and involved 2,291 Danish adults. Experimental data are linked to comprehensive administrative registers, allowing us to analyze associations between cooperation and subsequent outcomes in family life, career trajectories, income, health, crime and norm compliance. We hypothesize that higher levels of cooperation are associated with more favorable social, economic, health outcomes, and less crime. Secondary analyses examine related including charitable giving and electric vehicle ownership.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Fosgaard, Toke. 2026. "Pre-analysis plan: Cooperation in online lab and real-life outcomes." AEA RCT Registry. January 28. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.17737-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2008-05-01
Intervention End Date
2008-05-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Primary experimental measures (cooperation):
1. Unconditional contribution in a public good game
2. Beliefs about others’ contributions
3. Conditional cooperation preferences (strategy method)
4. Comprehension of the public good game
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Experimental control variables: Risk and loss preferences, personality traits (Big Five), cognitive abilities, and survey answers.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The experimental data were collected prior to this registration as part of the iLEE1 study (May 2008). The experimental sample consists of 2,291 Danish adults who completed an online experiment that included a public goods game, incentivized preference tasks, survey measures, and cognitive and personality tests. Treatment variation: 2/3 saw a 'give' framing of the public good game, while 1/3 saw a 'take' framing of the public good game.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
The procedure was built into the online experimental software. A random number in the interval [0,1] was drawn from a uniform distribution. If the number was below 0.3, participants were shown the take framing of the public goods game; otherwise, they were shown the give framing.
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
None
Sample size: planned number of observations
2291
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
2/3 saw a 'give' framing of the public good game, 1/3 saw a 'take' framing of the public good game.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number
Analysis Plan

Analysis Plan Documents

Pre-analysis plan_Cooperation and real-life outcomes

MD5: 8873eeb8a496087b60025e79bd720f1f

SHA1: eba738029bb5b2d113dd21d6f73a702a994bed22

Uploaded At: January 22, 2026

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