Determinants of preferences for honesty

Last registered on November 05, 2020
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Determinants of preferences for honesty
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0004961
Initial registration date
November 05, 2020

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
November 05, 2020, 8:03 AM EST

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

Locations

Country
Germany
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Fabian Kosse
Affiliation
JMU Würzburg
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Johannes Abeler
PI Affiliation
University of Oxford
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Armin Falk
PI Affiliation
University of Bonn & briq
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Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2011-09-01
End date
2017-02-13
Keywords
Other
Additional Keywords
Lying
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
Reporting private information is a key part of economic decision making. A recent literature has found that many people have a preference for honest reporting, contrary to usual economic assumptions. In this study, we investigate what determines these preferences. We experimentally measure preferences for honesty in a sample of children. We explore relations between a child’s reporting behaviour and parents’ characteristics. We further explore the causal effect of the social environment by randomly enrolling children in a year-long mentoring program.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Abeler, Johannes, Armin Falk and Fabian Kosse. 2020. "Determinants of preferences for honesty." AEA RCT Registry. November 05. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.4961-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The intervention program is based on the concept of “informal learning”, i.e., it integrates learning processes into everyday activities and does not directly focus on academic achievements. The idea is to widen a child’s horizon through social interactions with a new attachment person.
The program aims to strengthen the basic skills and non-academic abilities of participants that increase the likelihood of success in life and school. By enriching the social environment of participants, the mentors allow them to gain new experiences and to acquire these skills and
abilities. In doing so, mentors both serve as role models and as motherly or fatherly friends.
Intervention Start Date
2011-10-01
Intervention End Date
2013-01-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
We focus on the results of a modified version of the experimental paradigm suggested by Fischbacher and Föllmi-Heusi (2013) (“FFH”). In this paradigm, subjects privately observe the outcome of a random variable (e.g., a die roll), report the outcome and receive a monetary payoff proportional to their report.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We recruited participants and their parents from the two cities Cologne and Bonn in Germany. In 2011, we invited all families living in those cities with children born between September 2003 and August 2004 to participate in a mentoring program, as well as one third of families with children born between September 2002 and August 2003 (N=14,451). We truthfully informed parents that, due to capacity constraints, participation in the program was not guaranteed. 1626 families indicated a willingness to participate and answered a short questionnaire including questions on income, education and whether both parents lived in the same household. We focus on those children whose parents met at least one of the following three criteria: (i) Equivalence income of the household is lower than 1065 Euro, corresponding to the 30th percentile of the German income distribution. (ii) Neither parent has a school-leaving degree qualifying for university studies. (iii) Parents do not live in the same household. We invited these children (N=700) and their parents for a baseline interview conducted in September to October 2011. 590 children and their parents participated in the baseline interview and gave their written consent to allow the transmission of their address to the organization running the mentoring program. This is our main sample. Out of this sample, 212 families were randomly selected to be treated (“treatment group”), the remaining 378 families form the control group.

We also recruited a high socio-economic status (SES) comparison group from the children whose parents did not meet either of the three criteria listed above (N=150 invited, N=122 participated in the baseline interview and gave written consent).
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
randomization done in office by a computer using STATA.
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
590 children
Sample size: planned number of observations
590 children
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
212 children were randomly selected to be treated (“treatment group”), the remaining 378 children form the control group.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Ethikkommission des Fachbereichs Wirtschaftswissenschaften der Rheinischen Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn für das vom European Research Council im Rahmen eines Advanced Grants geförderte Projekt „Morality“
IRB Approval Date
2016-08-29
IRB Approval Number
N/A
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
Yes
Intervention Completion Date
January 31, 2013, 12:00 +00:00
Data Collection Complete
Yes
Data Collection Completion Date
February 13, 2017, 12:00 +00:00
Final Sample Size: Number of Clusters (Unit of Randomization)
394 children
Was attrition correlated with treatment status?
No
Final Sample Size: Total Number of Observations
394 children
Final Sample Size (or Number of Clusters) by Treatment Arms
252 control group children, 142 treatment group children
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials