Prosocial Behavior in the Time of Corona - The Effect of Role Models

Last registered on April 09, 2020
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Prosocial Behavior in the Time of Corona - The Effect of Role Models
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0005697
Initial registration date
April 08, 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
April 09, 2020, 11:02 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
Martin Abel
Affiliation
Middlebury College
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Willa Brown
PI Affiliation

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2020-04-01
End date
2020-06-01
Keywords
Governance
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
We test the effectiveness of learning about role models on prosocial behavior. Specifically, we randomly assign participants to watch either a positive or negative video of the behavior of either citizens or politicians in the current corona crisis. We then measure the causal effect on prosocial behavior, as measured by donations and interest in volunteering.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Abel, Martin and Willa Brown. 2020. "Prosocial Behavior in the Time of Corona - The Effect of Role Models." AEA RCT Registry. April 09. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.5697-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2020-04-01
Intervention End Date
2020-04-15

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Prosocial behavior is measured by:
1) Amount donated to charity
2) Do participants click on a link to learn more about volunteering opportunities
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
To test for underlying mechanisms we ask:
1) What was the main question participants asked themselves when deciding how much to donate?
2) Do participants think that people in general can be trusted.
3) What are emotional responses to video - how sad / happy, angry / pleased, stressed / calm are respondents
4) Now novel and accurate is the video perceived.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We recruit people online and randomly assign them to a control group or one of four treatment arms. positive citizen, negative citizen, positive government, negative government. The treatment group watch a corresponding short video. The control group watches a short science video on corona. We then collect outcome data on their prosocial behavior.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization is done on qualtrics.
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
N/A
Sample size: planned number of observations
700
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Equally distributed across treatment arms, slightly larger number in 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
Middlebury College IRB
IRB Approval Date
2020-03-26
IRB Approval Number
20-021
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