Goal Bracketing: Evidence from a Field Experiment

Last registered on August 30, 2018
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Goal Bracketing: Evidence from a Field Experiment
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0003278
Initial registration date
August 30, 2018

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
August 30, 2018, 9:17 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Japan
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Takeshi Murooka
Affiliation
Osaka University
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2018-06-01
End date
2019-12-31
Keywords
Health
Additional Keywords
Psychology and Economics, Behavioral Economics, Bracketing, Goal, Reminder, Social Comparison, Weight Loss, Dieting, Health
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
When people try to achieve a goal, bracketing of goals (in our experiments, bimonthly goals or a yearly goal) can affect their motivations and outcomes. Though the recent literature on psychology and economics has documented the potential importance of goal bracketing, its evidence is still scarce. We plan to conduct randomized controlled trials to study the effects of bracketing of weight goals. Specifically, we identify the effects of goal bracketing of individual goal reminders and social comparisons. We further plan to investigate underlying mechanisms from the unique food purchase panel data.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Murooka, Takeshi. 2018. "Goal Bracketing: Evidence from a Field Experiment." AEA RCT Registry. August 30. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.3278-1.0
Former Citation
Murooka, Takeshi. 2018. "Goal Bracketing: Evidence from a Field Experiment." AEA RCT Registry. August 30. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/3278/history/33659
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2018-09-10
Intervention End Date
2019-10-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
participants' goal achievements of weight, changes of food purchase and consumption
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
exercise and steps per day, mental health, sleep
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
To study the effects of bracketing of each individual's weight goal, we randomly assign exogenous goal bracketing (bimonthly goals or a yearly goal) of individual reminders and social comparisons. We also plan to investigate underlying mechanisms from the unique food purchase panel data.
Experimental Design Details
Collaborating with Consumer Affairs Agency Government of Japan and COOP Tokushima, we plan to conduct randomized controlled trials to study the effects of bracketing of weight goals. Specifically, we identify the effects of goal bracketing of individual goal reminders and social comparisons. We further plan to investigate underlying mechanisms from the unique food purchase panel data.

Specifically, we randomly assign each subject to one of the following five treatments: (i) a control group where each subject does not receive any reminder flyer, (ii) each subject receives a reminder flyer where one's goal is broadly bracketed as a yearly goal, (iii) each subject receives a reminder flyer where one's goal is broadly bracketed as a yearly goal as well as the information about the ranking of goal achievements within a group, (iv) each subject receives a reminder flyer where one's goal is narrowly bracketed as bimonthly goals, (v) each subject receives a reminder flyer where one's goal is narrowly bracketed as bimonthly goals as well as the information about the ranking of goal achievements within a group. To control each subject's attention to a flyer, we also randomly provide one of the two following information flyer in each month: an information flyer about health and dieting (provided from Consumer Affairs Agency Government of Japan) where a couple of recommended products are presented or not. Hence, in total, we have 5*2=10 arms.
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Individuals.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
2448 individuals.
Sample size: planned number of observations
2448 individuals, with the possibility that a small number of individuals will further sign up.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
All individuals are randomly assigned one of the above 10 arms. Hence, about 245 subjects are allocated into each cell.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Osaka School of International Public Policy, Osaka University, JAPAN
IRB Approval Date
2017-12-05
IRB Approval Number
N/A
Analysis Plan

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