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Thank you for participating in this experiment.

The following is a short summary of this study to help you decide whether to be a part of this study. More detailed information is listed later in this form. 

Why am I being invited to take part in a research study? 

We invite you to take part in a research study because you are an adult that is part of the Harvard BeLab Sona participants’ pool.

What should I know about a research study? 

•Someone will explain this research study to you.

•Whether or not you take part is up to you.

•Your participation is completely voluntary.

•You can choose not to take part.

•You can agree to take part and later change your mind.

•Your decision will not be held against you.  

•You can ask all the questions you want before you decide.

Why is this research being done? 

Purpose of research:

The purpose of this survey is to study factors influencing individuals’ decision-making processes to improve our understanding of their behavior in organizations.

How long will the research last and what will I need to do? 

We expect that this research study lasts for 70 min. 

You will be asked to work over multiple periods on a decision-making task, which we explain to you on the following pages. Each round, you will receive a random number and can then decide which number you want to report (that number can be higher than the number you received). At the end of each round, we compare your number to the number of the other player. The player with the higher number wins that round. You will also have the opportunity to flag potential false reporting of another random player. If you are correct that the other random player misreported their number, this other random player loses the round. However, flagging reduces your own reported number that goes into the comparison with your peer player. After you have finished the main task of the experiment, we ask you a couple of questions about your decisions and thoughts. 

Is there any way being in this study could be bad for me? 

We do not foresee any physical or non-physical risks for you. This experiment is designed as a simple game that you will play, where you make some decisions and get compensated based on the final outcome of the game. 

However, there are a few factors to note:

  1. The game requires you to decide whether you will report another player if you believe they have misreported their number. Your decision – to report or not to report – may make you uncomfortable. But this is a possibility you need to consider prior to consenting to take part in the study. 
  2. The game is designed such that your identity is kept confidential. However, given the in-person nature of the experiment (conducted at the BeLab), you will see some other participants even if you don’t know them, and it is possible you will know some of the participants. The BeLab will work hard to minimize such encounters, but clearly cannot eliminate this possibility. In such cases, we remind you to keep your own identity and the identity of others confidential. 

Will being in this study help me in any way? 

There are no benefits to you from your taking part in this research. We cannot promise any benefits to others from your taking part in this research. However, possible benefits to others include a better understanding of factors influencing individuals’ decision-making process.

Detailed Information

The following is more detailed information about this study in addition to the information listed above. 

What happens if I say yes, but I change my mind later? 

You can leave the research at any time; it will not be held against you. However, please note that there is no compensation if you are unable to complete the study. 

If I take part in this research, how will my privacy be protected? What happens to the information you collect?

Efforts will be made to limit the use and disclosure of your Personal Information, including using an experimental ID and presentation of results in summary form only, to people who have a need to review this information. We cannot promise complete secrecy. Organizations that may inspect and copy your information include the IRB and other representatives of this organization. 

If identifiers are removed from your identifiable private information or identifiable samples that are collected during this research, that information or those samples could be used for future research studies or distributed to another investigator for future research studies without your additional consent.

What else do I need to know?

This research is being funded by Harvard Business School

Compensation - If you agree to take part in this research study, we will pay you $20 for your time and effort. On top of that, you can earn an additional bonus payment depending on your decisions in the study. The maximum of the additional bonus is $20 and the minimum is $0. We rank order the study participants based on their performance and pay the highest performing participant $20 and the lowest performing participants $0. This implies that all but the lowest performer receive a bonus in addition to the $20 base rate. The size of the bonus depends on your performance relative to the performance of other participants in your group. There is no compensation if you do not complete the entire study (which lasts 70 minutes) or if you do not pass the comprehension checks. In other words, there is no partial compensation if you are unable to complete the entire study. 

Who can I talk to? 

If you have questions, concerns, or complaints, or think the research has hurt you, talk to the research team at jheese@hbs.edu.

This research has been reviewed and approved by the Harvard University Area Institutional Review Board (“IRB”). You may talk to them at (617) 496-2847 or cuhs@harvard.edu if: 

•Your questions, concerns, or complaints are not being answered by the research team.

•You cannot reach the research team.

•You want to talk to someone besides the research team.

•You have questions about your rights as a research subject.

•You want to get information or provide input about this research.

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