Ends versus Means: Kantians, Utilitarians and Moral Decisions

Last registered on November 03, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Ends versus Means: Kantians, Utilitarians and Moral Decisions
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0007714
Initial registration date
June 28, 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
June 29, 2021, 2:22 PM EDT

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

Last updated
November 03, 2024, 1:04 PM EST

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Country
Germany
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Luca Henkel
Affiliation
Erasmus University Rotterdam
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Armin Falk
PI Affiliation
briq – Institute on Behavior & Inequality and University of Bonn
PI Name
Roland Bénabou
PI Affiliation
Princeton University

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2021-06-30
End date
2022-10-31
Keywords
Behavior
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This project concerns moral behavior and how observed choices relate to moral orientation. We study experimentally situations where the two most influential moral theories, consequentialism and deontological ethics, distinguish themselves sharply on their directives regarding the morally right action. By observing behavior in the different situations, we investigate how choices vary between the different situations, as well as how behavior in these situations relates to general economic preferences and judgment obtained from hypothetical questionnaires.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Bénabou, Roland, Armin Falk and Luca Henkel. 2024. "Ends versus Means: Kantians, Utilitarians and Moral Decisions." AEA RCT Registry. November 03. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.7714-4.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2021-06-30
Intervention End Date
2022-10-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Choices of subjects in various decision situations. See the attached PDF document for details.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The experiment consists of two sessions in which subjects are confronted with (1) a set of distinct decision situations, (2) games measuring standard economic preferences, and (3) questionnaires. See the attached PDF document for details.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Computer-based.
Randomization Unit
Individual randomization
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
n/a
Sample size: planned number of observations
600
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
300
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials

Documents

Document Name
Preregistration details
Document Type
Document Description
Document containing the details of the preregistration.
File
Preregistration details

MD5: 80071bfda255a2dd390029e754e908b1

SHA1: 0c91837e67d3ae581e5b629b8ec7b34a395db04a

Uploaded At: June 28, 2021

Document Name
Preregistration robustness experiment aligned details
Document Type
Document Description
Document containing the details of the preregistration of the "aligned" robustness experiment.
File
Preregistration robustness experiment aligned details

MD5: d1f069900eb9e8ebe2524a6fd54cbd4e

SHA1: f308a9816f2acba7ab6b9518388e4ade57576207

Uploaded At: November 21, 2023

Document Name
Preregistration mechanism experiment details
Document Type
Document Description
Document containing the details of the preregistration of the mechanism experiment that measures subjects preferences for randomization.
File
Preregistration mechanism experiment details

MD5:

SHA1:

Uploaded At: November 03, 2024

IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Princeton University Research Integrity and Assurance
IRB Approval Date
2020-06-15
IRB Approval Number
12513
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