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The Adventure of Running Experiments with Teenagers

Author

Listed:
  • Antonio Alfonso-Costillo

    (Universidad Loyola)

  • Pablo Brañas-Garza

    (Universidad Loyola)

  • Diego Jorrat

    (Universidad Loyola)

  • Pablo Lomas

    (Universidad Loyola)

  • Benjamin Prissé

    (Universidad Loyola)

  • Mónica Vasco

    (Universidad Loyola)

Abstract
Economists are increasingly interested in how to conduct experiments with teenagers. This paper evaluates whether different methodological factors impact the answers of teenagers to standard experimental tasks on measuring time preferences, risk preferences, cognitive abilities and financial abilities, among others. Results show: i) the recruitment process matters depending on whether the school includes the experiment as an institutional activity or the teachers led the process particularly for their class; the dropout rate reduced significantly from the first to the third experimental wave, when the school was responsible for organizingthe experiment; ii) hypothetical payments elicits similar results than monetary payments; iii) adding visual elements to the experiment’s interface improves the quality of answers; and iv) the type of electronic device on which subjects answer the tasks does not influence results, while administrating the experiment by school teachers does affect the answers. We conclude by giving three suggestions to researchers interested in conducting experiments with teenagers: first, run the experiment as a school-programmed activity; second, it is not necessary the use of real payments which increases the cost and complicates the recruitment; and third, integratevisual components to the task

Suggested Citation

  • Antonio Alfonso-Costillo & Pablo Brañas-Garza & Diego Jorrat & Pablo Lomas & Benjamin Prissé & Mónica Vasco, 2023. "The Adventure of Running Experiments with Teenagers," Working Papers 214, Red Nacional de Investigadores en Economía (RedNIE).
    • Handle: RePEc:aoz:wpaper:214
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    File URL: https://rednie.eco.unc.edu.ar/files/DT/214.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. No title
      by maximorossi in NEP-LTV blog on 2023-02-27 18:50:57

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    developmental decision-making; field experiments; economic preferences; teenagers;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty

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