How Group Diversity Affects Newcomer’s and Group’s Cooperation and Coordination

Last registered on May 16, 2022
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
How Group Diversity Affects Newcomer’s and Group’s Cooperation and Coordination
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0009048
Initial registration date
May 01, 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
May 16, 2022, 5:28 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country
United States of America
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
George Agyeah
Affiliation
University of Arkansas
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Sherry Li
PI Affiliation
University of Arkansas
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2021-11-30
End date
2024-08-31
Keywords
Behavior, Firms & Productivity, Gender, Lab, Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We conduct lab experiments to examine how group diversity may affect the integration of newcomers and, as a result, influence the group members’ and the group’s performance in a dynamic environment. We experimentally vary the group compositions and newcomers' social identities and then investigate the impact of the groups' diversity and the newcomers' identities on the groups' and the old and new members' economic decisions, cooperation, and coordination.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Agyeah, George and Sherry Li. 2022. "How Group Diversity Affects Newcomer’s and Group’s Cooperation and Coordination." AEA RCT Registry. May 16. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.9048-1.0
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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
To investigate the impact of group composition on group and newcomer performances, we utilize a factorial between-subjects design. We introduce newcomers to existing groups. We randomly change the group compositions based on the pre-existing members' social identities and match them with the newcomers of various social identities to understand how the identity (mis)alignment of the newcomers with some of the pre-existing group members impacts the performance of newcomers and the existing groups.
Intervention Start Date
2021-11-30
Intervention End Date
2024-08-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
We hypothesize that the newcomers' social identities and the group compositions will affect both newcomers' and preexisting group members' decisions. Hence, we propose the following hypotheses:
Hypothesis 1: The existing group’s composition has a differential impact on the contributions of newcomers.
Hypothesis 2: The newcomer’s identity has a differential impact on the existing group members’ contributions.
Hypothesis 3: Newcomers interactions with the group members vary based on the compositions of the preexisting groups.
Hypothesis 4: Group performance will vary by the group’s composition.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
To investigate the impact of group composition on groups' and newcomers' performances, we utilize a factorial between-subjects design, i.e., introducing newcomers to existing groups.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
60-80 sessions with 15-20 sessions in each treatment.
Sample size: planned number of observations
240-320 participants
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
15-20 sessions (60-80 participants) in each treatment arm
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Univerisity of Arkansas
IRB Approval Date
2021-11-30
IRB Approval Number
2109358353
Analysis Plan