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Misperceptions about Interpersonal Dialogue in Social Networks

Last registered on January 04, 2021
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Misperceptions about Interpersonal Dialogue in Social Networks
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0006980
Initial registration date
January 01, 2021

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
January 04, 2021, 8:47 AM EST

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

Locations

Country
India
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Vatsal Khandelwal
Affiliation
University of Oxford
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Ronak Jain
PI Affiliation
Harvard University
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2020-11-12
End date
2021-03-31
Keywords
Behavior, Health
Additional Keywords
Networks, Beliefs, Interpersonal Dialogue, Advice, Mental Health
JEL code(s)
C93, D83, D91, I12
Secondary IDs
Abstract
Misperceptions regarding the beliefs of peers may serve as a barrier preventing individuals from openly seeking advice regarding personal decisions. These misperceptions determine the equilibrium advice taking we observe in real world networks. We study how these misperceptions may arise and how they may push society towards an inferior equilibrium. Using data from an experiment conducted with low-income individuals in New Delhi, India, we study how belief-shifting interventions can increase interpersonal dialogue.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Jain , Ronak and Vatsal Khandelwal. 2021. "Misperceptions about Interpersonal Dialogue in Social Networks." AEA RCT Registry. January 04. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.6980-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The intervention will involve correcting misperceptions around willingness to engage in interpersonal dialogue among low-income individuals in urban India. Participants in the treatment group will receive information about (a) the true average willingness to have an interpersonal dialogue among people living in their neighborhood and (b) the average stress levels in their neighbourhood.
Intervention Start Date
2021-01-18
Intervention End Date
2021-02-22

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Stigma, interpersonal dialogue, workplace behaviour, take-up of resources, self efficacy, stress, spillovers. We will measure stigma by measuring willigness to reveal information to their neighbours and dialogue using self-reported and peer-elicited responses.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Participants will be randomly divided equally into a control group which receives no information and a treatment group which will receive corrected beliefs about others' willingness to have interpersonal dialogue and stress.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Individuals will be randomly allocated to control and treatment groups, stratified by their baseline characteristics such as age, gender, neighbourhood, household income, baseline beliefs, and dialogue.
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
350-500
Sample size: planned number of observations
350-500
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
~175-250 individuals in the control group, and ~175-250 in the treatment 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
DREC, Department of Economics, University of Oxford
IRB Approval Date
2020-10-21
IRB Approval Number
ECONC1A21-22-01
IRB Name
Harvard University Area (HUA)
IRB Approval Date
2020-10-28
IRB Approval Number
IRB19-2129
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