Are Workers Aware of their Productivity?

Last registered on October 10, 2021

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Are Workers Aware of their Productivity?
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0008350
Initial registration date
October 09, 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
October 10, 2021, 9:36 PM EDT

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

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
New York University

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2021-10-01
End date
2023-06-30
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study examines the extent to which individuals are unaware of how their productivity evolves over time, and assesses the earnings implications of this unawareness.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Salcher, Isabelle. 2021. "Are Workers Aware of their Productivity?." AEA RCT Registry. October 10. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.8350-1.0
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2021-10-01
Intervention End Date
2022-06-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Actual productivity (quantity and quality) over time, Beliefs about productivity (quantity and quality) over time, Earnings implications of unawareness
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
In an online experiment, I elicit incentivized beliefs over the quantity and quality of output produced over time on a representative real-work task. After completing the work, workers can choose between two compensation schemes.
Experimental Design Details
In an online experiment, I elicit incentivized beliefs over the quantity and quality of output produced over time on a representative real-work task. Uncertainty in belief estimates is captured in addition to average estimates. For a randomized subset, I also elicit beliefs prior to working on the task. After completing the work, workers can choose between two compensation schemes. The scheme they choose will be applied to their past performance to determine their earnings. The optimal compensation scheme thus depends on the quantity and quality of workers’ output.
Randomization Method
Computer software as part of online experiment
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
500 individuals (workers)
Sample size: planned number of observations
500 individuals (workers)
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
250 compensation scheme presentation 1, 250 compensation scheme presentation 2
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
New York University Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2021-08-20
IRB Approval Number
IRB-FY2019-3230

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