Common Knowledge in Coordination Games

Last registered on September 01, 2017
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Common Knowledge in Coordination Games
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0002406
Initial registration date
August 30, 2017

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
September 01, 2017, 9:55 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Singapore
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Yan Chen
Affiliation
University of Michigan
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Yohanes E. Riyanto
PI Affiliation
Nanyang Technological University
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Roy Chen
PI Affiliation
National University of Singapore
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2017-09-04
End date
2018-05-31
Keywords
Welfare
Additional Keywords
common knowledge, coordination games, group identity
JEL code(s)
C71, C91, D71
Secondary IDs
Abstract
In the replication study of Camerer et al. (2016), Chen and Chen (2011) did not replicate. In this study, we seek to understand reasons which might have led to the non-replication. One protocol deviation in the replication was that the replication author did not read the instructions for the coordination game aloud, thus removing the common knowledge condition from the minimum effort coordination game. We conjecture that common knowledge is critical to establish efficient coordination with ingroup members. In a series of laboratory experiments, we vary the experimental condition by conducting two treatments with and two without common knowledge.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Chen, Roy, Yan Chen and Yohanes E. Riyanto. 2017. "Common Knowledge in Coordination Games." AEA RCT Registry. September 01. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.2406-1.0
Former Citation
Chen, Roy, Yan Chen and Yohanes E. Riyanto. 2017. "Common Knowledge in Coordination Games." AEA RCT Registry. September 01. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/2406/history/21080
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
To test the effects of common knowledge in coordination games, we employ a 2*2 between-subject factorial design. Along one dimension, we vary whether we establish common knowledge by reading the instructions for the minimum effort game aloud. Along the other dimension, we implement the original ingroup versus outgroup treatments.
Intervention Start Date
2017-09-04
Intervention End Date
2018-05-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
effort level; communication quantity in the chat stage;
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
To test the effects of common knowledge in coordination games, we employ a 2*2 between-subject factorial design. Along one dimension, we vary whether we establish common knowledge by reading the instructions for the minimum effort game aloud. Along the other dimension, we implement the original ingroup versus outgroup treatments.

Since each session consists of 12 subjects, we use 168 subjects, or 14 independent sessions to replicate the original study.

We also run an identical number of sessions following the replication protocol, i.e., without the common knowledge.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Each subject is randomized into one of two sessions. Sessions are randomized into one of four different treatments.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
28 sessions, 7 per treatment.
Sample size: planned number of observations
336 subjects
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
72 students per treatment.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
We will use 90% power, p=0.033. See pdf for details.
Supporting Documents and Materials

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IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
the National University of Singapore IRB
IRB Approval Date
2016-05-13
IRB Approval Number
Ref. Code A-16-150E
Analysis Plan

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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