Shall we meet? An experimental study of self-selection into face-to-face meetings

Last registered on September 25, 2019
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Shall we meet? An experimental study of self-selection into face-to-face meetings
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0004750
Initial registration date
September 25, 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
September 25, 2019, 3:09 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Germany
Region
Hamburg

Primary Investigator

Name
Roee Sarel
Affiliation
Institute of Law & Economics, University of Hamburg
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Hadar Jabotinsky
PI Affiliation
University of Haifa
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2019-09-26
End date
2020-03-31
Keywords
Other
Additional Keywords
Communication, Cooperation, Trust
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
We test experimentally how individuals' self-selection into direct communication with their counterparts impacts cooperation. Subjects are randomly matched in pairs and participate together in a task in which cooperation can be beneficial. Prior to the task, subjects decide whether to invest a part of their endowment in order to increase the probability of having pre-task communication with their assigned partner. We analyze how variations in the subjects' willingness to meet impacts the effectiveness of communication on cooperation. Our design contrasts face-to-face meetings vs. video conferences, given combinations of willingness to communicate. This allows us to disentangle the impact of the willingness to meet as a costly signal from the channel of communication, and to differentiate between the roles of information flow and trust.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Jabotinsky, Hadar and Roee Sarel. 2019. "Shall we meet? An experimental study of self-selection into face-to-face meetings." AEA RCT Registry. September 25. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.4750-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2019-09-26
Intervention End Date
2019-09-27

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Cooperation and information flow, willingness to pay for communication
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Willingness to pay is measure by whether subjects invest to increase the probability of communication. Cooperation and information flow are measured by task performance, conditional on the treatment.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
-
Experimental Design Details
The experiment consists of two stages. In the first stage, subjects learn that they must solve an incentivized riddle. However, the clues they receive are insufficient for solving the riddle correctly. They must then decide whether to invest a part of their endowment to increase the probability of communicating with an (otherwise anonymous) matched partner prior to entering the solution for the riddle. The partner holds complementary information, so that each pair actually jointly holds enough information for solving the riddle. However, subjects do not know this in advance. After investment decisions are made, subjects learn whether their partner invested and the computer decides which pairs communicate. We implement two between-subject treatments: in one group, those who communicate do so face-to-face. In the second group, they do so via video conference (subject know in advance what the medium of communication is, but not that there is another group with another medium). We then get a 2x3 design, where for each medium (face-to-face, video conference) there are communicating pairs where either (1) none, (2) one, or (3) both subjects invested. Subjects enter their solutions in the second stage. We also measure task performance and elicit beliefs, risk aversion (via a binary lottery), feedback on the communication, ability (using another, similar, riddle), and relevant self-reported attributes and demographics.
Randomization Method
Randomization using standard lab procedure (draw of cards with numbers from a jar)
Randomization Unit
Between-subject treatment (Face to Face or Video conference)
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
-
Sample size: planned number of observations
80-100
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
40-50 subjects per 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

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information

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