Negotiation Octopus: A serial-multiple mediation theory of multicommunication in negotiation

Last registered on April 01, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Negotiation Octopus: A serial-multiple mediation theory of multicommunication in negotiation
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0018207
Initial registration date
March 27, 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
April 01, 2026, 10:11 AM 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
Abel Winn
Affiliation
Hillsdale College
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Rachel Croson
PI Affiliation
PI Name
Matthew McCarter
PI Affiliation
PI Name
Weiwei Zheng
PI Affiliation

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-04-06
End date
2026-12-31
Keywords
Other
Additional Keywords
Negotiation, multicommunication
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial is based on or builds upon one or more prior RCTs.
Abstract
We use a laboratory experiment to examine the effect of multicommunication on negotiator performance. We vary the intensity of the multicommunication by changing the number of counterparts a participant negotiates with simultaneously. We use survey data to investigate the possible channels through which multicommunication may affect negotiation outcomes.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Croson, Rachel et al. 2026. "Negotiation Octopus: A serial-multiple mediation theory of multicommunication in negotiation." AEA RCT Registry. April 01. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.18207-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2026-04-06
Intervention End Date
2026-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Negotiation outcomes: payoff for each party in the negotiation, efficiency attained by the negotiation parties
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Relationship between participants’ self-reported psychological measures, multicommunication intensity (number of negotiation partners) and negotiation outcomes.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Participants are students recruited through email. Each participant will participate in one treatment, as either a recruiter or a candidate. Each recruiter negotiates with either one, three or five candidates simultaneously. A deal is made between the recruiter and a candidate if both parties agree on a compensation package by the end of the negotiation period. Recruiters and candidates can send email messages to their counterpart(s) as well as make proposals. After the negotiation period, a survey is conducted, which includes questions that measure participants’ self-reported psychological measures of time pressure, anxiety, multicommunication orientation, and experience of flow.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Recruiting emails will be sent to an existing subject pool. Participants respond to the email to participate in the study. Treatments are randomly assigned to experimental sessions (day/time combinations). Participants are randomly assigned to a computer terminal which determines their role. Treatment-specific information is delivered after subjects arrive in the lab.
Randomization Unit
By experimental sessions, by individual role
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
3 treatments x 20 negotiation groups per treatment
Sample size: planned number of observations
60 groups, 240 participants
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
20 groups per treatment x 3 treatments.
1:1 negotiations: 40 participants, 20 recruiters, 20 candidates
1:3 negotiations: 80 participants, 20 recruiters, 60 candidates
1:5 negotiations: 120 participants, 20 recruiters, 100 candidates
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Chapman University
IRB Approval Date
2026-03-20
IRB Approval Number
IRB-23-62
Analysis Plan