A theory of social norms

Last registered on February 24, 2022
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
A theory of social norms
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0009013
Initial registration date
February 23, 2022

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
February 24, 2022, 1:23 PM EST

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

Locations

Country
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Itzhak Rasooly
Affiliation
Sciences Po & Paris School of Economics
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Roberto Rozzi
PI Affiliation
Ca' Foscari University of Venice
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2022-02-25
End date
2022-03-04
Keywords
Behavior
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
In this paper, we aim to acquire a quantitative understanding of how individual decisions to take a particular action depend on the share taking that action in their immediate environment.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Rasooly, Itzhak and Roberto Rozzi. 2022. "A theory of social norms." AEA RCT Registry. February 24. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.9013-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2022-02-25
Intervention End Date
2022-03-04

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Whether individuals choose to wear a face mask.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
See below.
Experimental Design Details
The experimental design is as follows:
1. A experimental subject enters a room and are greeted by four experimenters.
2. Unbeknownst to the subject, the number of the room experimenters who are wearing a face mask has been randomised (so there are five treatments, corresponding to 0/4 masks, 1/4 masks, 2/4 masks, 3/4 masks, and 4/4 masks).
3. An experimenter asks the subject for some basic demographic information (e.g. their age).
4. Another experimenter asks them whether they would prefer 1) a single lottery ticket for an Amazon voucher 2) a gamble between 0 or 2 lottery tickets that first order stochastically dominates the single lottery ticket.
5. The individual leaves the room and the process repeats.
Randomization Method
Using Python.
Randomization Unit
See experimental design.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
We hope to obtain a sample of at least 500.
Sample size: planned number of observations
See above.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
The sample will be split between 5 treatment groups.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Oxford
IRB Approval Date
2022-02-04
IRB Approval Number
ECONCIA21-22-37
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