On self-serving strategic beliefs

Last registered on July 01, 2019
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
On self-serving strategic beliefs
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0004330
Initial registration date
June 18, 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
July 01, 2019, 4:02 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Switzerland
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Florian Schneider
Affiliation
University of Zurich
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Nadja Ging-Jehli
PI Affiliation
Ohio State University
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PI Name
Roberto Weber
PI Affiliation
University of Zurich
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Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2015-06-01
End date
2016-05-23
Keywords
Other
Additional Keywords
motivated beliefs, strategic cynicism, bias, experiment
JEL code(s)
C72, D83, C92
Secondary IDs
Abstract
We experimentally study whether individuals adopt negative beliefs about others’ intentions to justify egoistic behavior. In contrast with Di Tella, et al. (2015), our first study finds no evidence that individuals engage in “strategic cynicism.” We reconcile the discrepancy, using Di Tella, et al.’s, data, a simple model of belief manipulation and a novel experiment that replicates and extends Di Tella, et al. Across three datasets, we find no evidence of negatively biased beliefs. However, Di Tella, et al.’s, results and our data indicate that those with a greater incentive to view others’ intentions cynically exhibit relatively less positive beliefs.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Ging-Jehli, Nadja, Florian Schneider and Roberto Weber. 2019. "On self-serving strategic beliefs." AEA RCT Registry. July 01. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.4330-1.0
Former Citation
Ging-Jehli, Nadja, Florian Schneider and Roberto Weber. 2019. "On self-serving strategic beliefs." AEA RCT Registry. July 01. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/4330/history/49073
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2015-06-01
Intervention End Date
2016-05-23

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
beliefs about the opponent’s behavior
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
See working paper (https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3324160)
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
randomization done by a computer
Randomization Unit
individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Study 1: 240 participants, Study 2: 161 participants.
Sample size: planned number of observations
Study 1: 240 participants, Study 2: 161 participants.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Study 1: 80 participants in each role
Study 2: 53 for Able=2 treatment, 53 for Able=8 treatment and 55 for Neutral treatment
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number
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