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Gender gaps in effort and performance based on reference groups with different gender compositions

Last registered on March 12, 2019

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Gender gaps in effort and performance based on reference groups with different gender compositions
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0003966
Initial registration date
March 07, 2019

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
March 12, 2019, 1:18 PM EDT

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

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
1. eötvös loránd university, 2. hungarian academy of sciences centre for economic and regional studies, institute of economics

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
hungarian academy of sciences, centre for economic and regional studies, institute of economics

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2019-03-11
End date
2019-08-31
Secondary IDs
Abstract
The goal of the experiment is to examine whether there is a significant difference in effort and performance between genders, depending on the gender of the subject's "main competitors." Previous studies showed that there are significant gender differences in participation and performance due to differences in attitudes toward competition. In this experiment we focus on how subjects' performance is affected by the gender composition of previous high-performing subjects whose performance information is highlighted prior to and during the task. We use a simple online game with randomized treatment to test for gender differences in outcomes.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Katona, Sándor and Anna Lovász. 2019. "Gender gaps in effort and performance based on reference groups with different gender compositions." AEA RCT Registry. March 12. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.3966-1.0
Former Citation
Katona, Sándor and Anna Lovász. 2019. "Gender gaps in effort and performance based on reference groups with different gender compositions." AEA RCT Registry. March 12. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/3966/history/43240
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The experiment is based on an online game, where prior to and during the game subjects are shown different set of recent top scores. We are interested in if their effort and performance depending on the treatment they receive: the gender of the subject's "main competitors".
Intervention Start Date
2019-03-11
Intervention End Date
2019-08-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
We plan to measure effort (number of games played, intensity of game playing) and performance (score).
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The experiment is based an online game, where subjects try to find and click on as many as they can of a target shape within a set of time range. Prior to and during the game they are shown recent top scores from previous games serving as "results of possible reference groups" for them. Depending on which set of results they are shown, subject's effort and performance are compared between these groups.
Experimental Design Details
Three different treatment groups are formed for which different recent top scores are included:

1. containing both female and male nicknames (serving as control group)
2. containing only female nicknames
3. contaning only male nicknames
Randomization Method
Randomization is built in the online game, done by a computer.
Randomization Unit
We use individual level randomization. Everyone who play the game is assigned to one of the treatments.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
-
Sample size: planned number of observations
At least 600 subjects for the pilot experiment, followed by 3000 subjects for the final results.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
At least 200 subjects for each treatment groups for the pilot experiment, followed by 1000 subjects/treatment group for the final results.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number

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