Social Learning in Groups: an Experimental Study

Last registered on September 12, 2018
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Social Learning in Groups: an Experimental Study
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0003315
Initial registration date
September 11, 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
September 12, 2018, 1:15 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country
United States of America
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Marina Agranov
Affiliation
Caltech
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Philipp Strack
PI Affiliation
UC Berkeley
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Omer Tamuz
PI Affiliation
Caltech
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2018-10-01
End date
2019-11-01
Keywords
Other
Additional Keywords
economics, social learning, laboratory experiment
JEL code(s)
C9, D83
Secondary IDs
Abstract
In this project, we use controlled laboratory experiments to investigate the aggregation of information in groups and the efficiency properties of this process. In particular, we construct a natural setting in which we will study how the size of the group, the strength of the signals, and information structure affect the degree to which information contained in the private signals is aggregated through mutual observation of others' actions.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Agranov, Marina, Philipp Strack and Omer Tamuz. 2018. "Social Learning in Groups: an Experimental Study." AEA RCT Registry. September 12. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.3315-1.0
Former Citation
Agranov, Marina, Philipp Strack and Omer Tamuz. 2018. "Social Learning in Groups: an Experimental Study." AEA RCT Registry. September 12. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/3315/history/34116
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2018-10-01
Intervention End Date
2019-11-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
We are interested in characteristics of the learning process and efficiency of information aggregation in different treatments. Specifically, we will investigate how fast (if at all) groups learn the true state of the world, whether or not group members converge to the same action when they observe each other's actions, whether the disagreement happens and whether its likelihood depends on the size of the group. We are also interested in documenting the groupthink phenomenon and understanding the mechanisms for its initiation and its dynamics. Moreover, we will investigate the effect of the information structures on the ability of subjects to learn the true state and impediments along this path.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
In the experiment, the groups of different size will play the finite-horizon game based on the environment studied in Harel, Mossel, Strack and Tamuz (2018) paper "Groupthink and the failure of information aggregation in large groups". The treatments will differ in the number of participants in a group, the precision of participants' private signals as well as in the information available to the participants throughout the game. In addition, at the end of the experiment, we will conduct several control tasks that elicit participants' risk preferences, overconfidence and IQ measures. The additional treatments will include variants of the same game which aim to investigate the mechanism that drives outcomes observed in the baseline game.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization is done in office by a computer
Randomization Unit
Experimental sessions
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Between 200 and 400 participants
Sample size: planned number of observations
Between 200 and 400 participants
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Between 20 and 100 subjects per treatment (depending on the group size)
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects (IRB) at Caltech
IRB Approval Date
2018-05-21
IRB Approval Number
18-0822
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