Back to History Current Version

How Does It Feel to Be in Refugees’ Shoes? Prejudice Impacts of a Role-Play Online Experiment

Last registered on July 24, 2020
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
How Does It Feel to Be in Refugees’ Shoes? Prejudice Impacts of a Roll-Play Online Experiment
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0006190
Initial registration date
July 23, 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
July 24, 2020, 10:33 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Colombia
Region
Bogotá

Primary Investigator

Name
Sandra V. Rozo
Affiliation
USC Marshall School of Business
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Marisol Rodriguez Chatruc
PI Affiliation
Inter-American Development Bank
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2020-08-01
End date
2020-11-30
Keywords
Other
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
We study the impact that perspective-taking through online role-playing can have on promoting altruism and trust by improving empathy and reducing prejudice. For this purpose we will randomly assign Colombian citizens to an online experience called “In Someone Else’s Shoes” (En Otros Zapatos, https://enotroszapatos.iadb.org/). In this experience they are told they are a Venezuelan female migrant and they are presented with this person’s story. Immersion is achieved in several ways: participants not only read the character’s story, but they also receive e-mails, voice and text messages from family and friends from the imaginary character and they also have to make decisions as if they were the character. We will also assess the impacts of presenting information about the perils of the Venezuelan migrants’ experiences in Colombia. We will test the effectiveness of the program relative to a treatment arm that consists of watching a video of migrants which attempt to causing emotion.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Rodriguez Chatruc, Marisol and Sandra V. Rozo . 2020. "How Does It Feel to Be in Refugees’ Shoes? Prejudice Impacts of a Roll-Play Online Experiment." AEA RCT Registry. July 24. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.6190-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

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

Request Information
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2020-08-01
Intervention End Date
2020-11-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
A. Pro-social outcomes.
B. Empathy and prejudice. They will be evaluated as possible drivers of changes in prosocial behaviors.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
A. Pro-social outcomes: altruism (through a standard dictator game) and trust.
B. Empathy and prejudice: Questionnaire includes an empathy scale and questions to measure prejudice and attitudes towards immigrants.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
A. Depth of perspective-taking (for individuals assigned to both treatment groups)
B. Emotions triggered by the treatments.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We will survey 600 participants through the Experimental and Behavioral Laboratory of the Rosario University in Colombia. Individuals will be randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups:
o Treatment 1 (Perspective-taking): “In Someone Else’s Shoes” interactive activity.
o Treatment 2 (Information appealing to emotion): Video of Venezuelan migrants in Colombia appealing to emotion. Information will be delivered in a narrative based way not fact-driven.
o Treatment 3 (control group): No treatment.
After treatment, individuals will answer a survey. Comprehension of each of the situations will be assessed during each intervention. The sample will be stratified by gender
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization will be done by the computer at the time of enrollment.
Randomization Unit
Randomization will be done at the individual level.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
none
Sample size: planned number of observations
600
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
200 in each group
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
No previous evidence available.
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Southern California
IRB Approval Date
2020-07-22
IRB Approval Number
UP-20-00522
Analysis Plan

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

Request Information

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