Primary Task Completed by Employees
The employees in each group will all be completing the same task in which they will decode letters into numbers using an on-screen decoding key. This key changes in each portion of the work period. You will have a chance to practice this task yourself shortly. Each letter employees accurately decode represents one completed work unit. Points will be awarded based on the number of accurately completed work units associated with each employee – that is, each employee’s total output. Each completed work unit will be worth 1 point. The more points earned from this task, the more compensation the employee will earn for the study at a rate of 25 points = $1.00, as further explained below.
Employees will complete this task for one 5-minute work period.
The work period will be divided into two parts. In the first part, employees will have 3 minutes to complete work that will increase their own total output for the period. In the second part of the period, employees will make a decision about how to use the 2 minutes that remain. This time can be used, in any proportion they choose, to complete additional work that either:
(1) increases their own total output for the period, or
(2) increases the total output of another employee in their group (of their choosing) for the period.
At the end of the work period, all employees will learn whether or not another employee spent time working to increase their total output on their behalf, as well as how many work units were completed during this time. However, employees will not learn which member(s) of the group chose to spend time in this manner. Employees are aware that their decisions are anonymous in this way.
Employees also receive feedback at the end of the work period that indicates how many work units they accurately completed in the period, as well as what their total output was for the period (which would include any work units completed on their behalf by other employees).
Employees' task is summarized below:
Consider the following independent examples:
1. Suppose in the work period, a participant:
| - Completed 75 work units in part 1. | |
| - Spent 0.5 minutes (30 seconds) in part 2 completing work to increase their own total output and completed 10 work units in this time. | |
| - Spent 1.5 minutes (90 seconds) in part 2 completing work to increase another employee’s total output and completed 30 work units in this time. |
Suppose also that another employee spent time working to increase the participant’s total output in part 2 of the period and completed 20 work units in that time. The participant’s total output for the period would be 105, as illustrated in the feedback below that the participant would receive at the end of the period:
| Part 1 - Units completed (1) |
Part 2 – Units completed toward the participant's own total output (2) |
Part 2 – Units completed toward another employee’s total output (3) |
Units completed toward the participant's output by other employee(s) (4) |
Participant's total output (1) + (2) + (4) |
| 75 | 10 | 30 (This increased the other employee's output by 30 units) |
20 | 105 |
2. Suppose in the work period, a participant:
| - Completed 80 work units in part 1. | |
| - Spent 2 minutes (120 seconds) in part 2 completing work to increase their own total output and completed 50 work units in this time. |
Suppose also that no other employee spent time working to increase the participant’s total output in part 2 of the period. The participant’s total output for the period would be 130, as illustrated in the feedback below that the participant would receive at the end of the period:
| Part 1 - Units completed (1) |
Part 2 – Units completed toward the participant's own total output (2) |
Part 2 – Units completed toward another employee’s total output (3) |
Units completed toward the participant's output by other employee(s) (4) |
Participant's total output (1) + (2) + (4) |
80 |
50 |
0 |
0 |
130 |