Conducting large, repeated, multi-game economic experiments using mobile platforms

PLoS One. 2021 Apr 29;16(4):e0250668. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250668. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

We demonstrate the possibility of conducting synchronous, repeated, multi-game economic decision-making experiments with hundreds of subjects in-person or remotely with live streaming using entirely mobile platforms. Our experiment provides important proof-of-concept that such experiments are not only possible, but yield recognizable results as well as new insights, blurring the line between laboratory and field experiments. Specifically, our findings from 8 different experimental economics games and tasks replicate existing results from traditional laboratory experiments despite the fact that subjects play those games/task in a specific order and regardless of whether the experiment was conducted in person or remotely. We further leverage our large subject population to study the effect of large (N = 100) versus small (N = 10) group sizes on behavior in three of the scalable games that we study. While our results are largely consistent with existing findings for small groups, increases in group size are shown to matter for the robustness of those findings.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cell Phone*
  • Female
  • Games, Experimental*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Sample Size

Grants and funding

Z.L. was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 71873116) and the NSFC Basic Science Center Program (Grant No. 71988101). S.K. and D.W. were employed by and received salary from MobLab Inc. (www.moblab.com). J.D. is a Scientific Advisor to MobLab, a position with no compensation but with a small equity stake. Experiment 1 in 2019 was funded by MobLab Inc. Experiment 2 in 2020 was funded by Xiamen University. The funder provided support in the form of salaries for authors S.K., D.W., and J.D. but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘`author contributions’’ section.