Paycheck commitment device

Last registered on March 18, 2014

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Paycheck commitment device
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0000319
First published
March 18, 2014, 5:30 PM EDT

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

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
Harvard Kennedy School

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
UPenn

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2014-02-07
End date
2014-02-15
Secondary IDs
Abstract
We are interested in two things. First, how interested are middle school students in commitment devices? Second, how effective are commitment devices for middle school students? Third, what features of commitment devices affect whether or not they are taken up?
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Duckworth, Angela and Todd Rogers. 2014. "Paycheck commitment device." AEA RCT Registry. March 18. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.319-1.0
Former Citation
Duckworth, Angela and Todd Rogers. 2014. "Paycheck commitment device." AEA RCT Registry. March 18. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/319/history/1343
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2014-02-07
Intervention End Date
2014-02-15

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Takeup of commitment device
Student paycheck score
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Students are randomly assigned to one of three conditions:
1. Control: Students complete a survey. On the final page, they are shown the value of their PAYCHECK from the previous week. They are asked:

Next week, do you want to set a goal to earn a paycheck of at least $«Paycheck Goal: 110% of last paycheck»
yes/no

2. Opt-in: Students complete a survey. On the final page, they are shown the value of their PAYCHECK from the previous week. They are asked:

Next week, do you want to set a goal to earn a paycheck of at least $«Paycheck Goal: 110% of last paycheck»
yes/no

They are then offered the opportunity to opt-in to a commitment device using language like the following:

Sometimes people find it helpful if there are consequences to not achieving their goals. We are offering you the chance to enroll in the following one-week trial:

You will earn a PAYCHECK next week of at least [110% OF LAST PAYCHECK], or 3 points will automatically be deducted from you PAYCHECK next week

Would you like to enroll in this one-week trial?
yes/no

3. Opt-out: Students complete a survey. On the final page, they are shown the value of their PAYCHECK from the previous week. They are asked:

Next week, do you want to set a goal to earn a paycheck of at least $«Paycheck Goal: 110% of last paycheck»
yes/no

They are then offered the opportunity to opt-out of a commitment device using language like the following:

Sometimes people find it helpful if there are consequences to not achieving their goals. You are automatically enrolled in the following.

You will earn a PAYCHECK next week of at least [110% OF LAST PAYCHECK], or 3 points will automatically be deducted from you PAYCHECK next week

Would you like to unenrolled (i.e., drop out) of this one-week trial?
yes/no
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by computer
Randomization Unit
Individual students
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
1
Sample size: planned number of observations
~300
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
~100
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Harvard IRB
IRB Approval Date
2013-11-05
IRB Approval Number
IRB13-2091
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