Social image concerns in intervention behavior

Last registered on June 06, 2022
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Social image concerns in intervention behavior
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0009523
Initial registration date
June 02, 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
June 06, 2022, 5:18 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Germany
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Philipp Doerrenberg
Affiliation
University of Mannheim
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Christoph Feldhaus
PI Affiliation
University of Bochum
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Felix Kölle
PI Affiliation
University of Cologne
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Axel Ockenfels
PI Affiliation
University of Cologne
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2022-06-03
End date
2022-11-30
Keywords
Behavior
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract

Basic setup: Participants in the role of Choice Architects (CA) can restrict the decision set of other participants who are in the role of decision makers (DM). In particular, CAs decide whether to grant full decision autonomy to the DM (i.e., leave all possible choice options available) or to restrict the DMs’ choice set by banning one or more of the available options. Decision Makers (DM) face two types of decisions: an intertemporal and a donation decision. In the intertemporal decision, DMs can choose among several options about the distribution of money that is received either today or in the future. In the donation decision, DMs can choose among several options about the distribution of money between themselves and a charity. CAs make intervention decisions for both types of the DAs' decision types.

Research question, randomized variation, outcome of interest, and objective of the study remain non-public until the trial is over.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Doerrenberg, Philipp et al. 2022. "Social image concerns in intervention behavior." AEA RCT Registry. June 06. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.9523-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
to remain non-public until trial is over
Intervention Start Date
2022-06-03
Intervention End Date
2022-08-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Outcome of interest: Intervention decisions of CAs, for both the intervention behavior in DMs' intertemporal and donation decision.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
to remain non-public until trial is over
Experimental Design Details
Research Question: Do social-image concerns affect the decision to intervene into other people's decision sets.

Basic setup: Participants in the role of Choice Architects (CA) can restrict the decision set of other participants who are in the role of decision makers (DM). In particular, CAs decide whether to grant full decision autonomy to the DM (i.e., leave all possible choice options available) or to restrict the DMs’ choice set by banning one or more of the available options. Decision Makers (DM) face two types of decisions: an intertemporal and a donation decision. In the intertemporal decision, DMs can choose among several options about the distribution of money that is received either today or in the future. In the donation decision, DMs can choose among several options about the distribution of money between themselves and a charity. CAs make intervention decisions for both types of the DAs' decision types.

Randomized Variation: We have two randomized groups. Treatment Group: After CAs make the intervention decision, they are required to tell the other participants in the laboratory which intervention decision they have made. CAs are informed prior to their intervention decision that they will have to publicly report their intervention decision in a later stage. Control Group: CAs do not inform other participants about their decision.

Outcome of interest: we compare the intervention decisions of CAs (both in the intertemporal and donation decision) across the two randomized groups.

Objective: we examine if social image concerns affect intervention behavior.

Main hypothesis: social-image concerns reduce interventions.
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
180
Sample size: planned number of observations
180
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
90 in each randomized condition.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Ethics Committee, University of Cologne
IRB Approval Date
2021-10-05
IRB Approval Number
210034CF
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information

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