Consent form for participation in this online experiment

Study Information

Thank you for your interest in our study. Please read the following information carefully. Your participation in this research is voluntary. It is your choice whether to participate or not. Please do not hesitate to write to us at alexandra[dot]witt[at]uni-tuebingen.de if you have any further questions regarding the study.

1. Purpose

In this study we investigate how humans integrate social information into decision-making processes.

2. Procedure

In the following, you will receive detailed information regarding the procedure of the study.

First, you will receive instructions on how the task works. Then we will ask you some questions to ensure you correctly understood the task. After that, you will get to try out the task, and finally do the task in full. Your performance in the full task will affect your bonus payment. The entire study will take about 30 minutes.

3. Compensation

You will receive £5.21 for your participation. You can also earn a bonus of up to £5.21 depending on your performance in the task.

4. Data protection

Once we have awarded you your bonus payment, your Prolific ID will be deleted from the study data. The experiment data will be stored under a randomly assigned participant number on a server at the University of Tübingen. This means that it will become impossible to link the study data to you. All data collected during this study will be treated confidentially and all individuals with access to your personal data are obliged to maintain data secrecy. We are not responsible for the handling of your personal data through the Prolific platform.
The study data may also be made publicly accessible via research databases or scientific publications (typically via the internet). This makes it possible for other researchers to check or replicate the results and enhances the quality of scientific research. The study data may also be used for new research questions going beyond the purposes of this particular study. The data is stored anonymously, treated confidentially, and used only for scientific purposes. You are free to withdraw, in which case recorded data will not be used (cf. point 6).

5. Voluntary participation

Your participation in this research is entirely voluntary. There will be no repercussions when canceling your participation.

6. Right to refuse or withdraw

You do not have to take part in this study if you do not wish to do so. You are free to withdraw your consent and do not need to provide a reason for your withdrawal. Participants who drop out of the study for any reason (e.g., technical issues) are eligible for full or partial compensation. Please contact alexandra[dot]witt[at]uni-tuebingen.de and include a screenshot of the experiment website if possible. If you withdraw from the study before data collection is completed, your data will not be used. If you withdraw from the study after completing the study, but before bonus payments have been processed, you can request the deletion of your data. After the processing of bonus payments, your Prolific ID will be removed from the study data and it will be fully anonymized, making it not possible to link you with your data.

7. Risks

Your participation does not involve any physical or emotional risk to you. You are free to withdraw at any time.

8. Insurance coverage

Not necessary for participating in this study.

9. Responsible contact

If you have questions or if there are any problems, please contact alexandra[dot]witt[at]uni-tuebingen.de. You can also use this email to request the withdrawal of your data.

Consent

By clicking on the button below, you agree to the following:

I have read and understood the conditions outlined above. I consent to participate in the study and agree to the collection, storage, and use of my data as described above.

Welcome to our social card game! Your task is to collect points by selecting the best out of three cards. You will be paid a bonus of up to £5.21 depending on how often you choose the best card. It will look something like this:

But what determines which card is best?

Choose the best card from the hierarchy

Tutorial

As you could see, it was a fairly simple task when being told what the hierarchy is. However, sometimes choices were sabotaged, which is why they were not 100% correct. We made sure to select only the most reliable experts to learn from in this task.

Now that you have experienced what the expert did, it is time for you to try the social learning task. After a quick tutorial and some questions, you will begin the task.

In the tutorial, you will have 10 trials to gain 10 points. Unlike in the actual task, you will see how many points you get each trial (1 for choosing the best option and 0 otherwise). Be sure to keep in mind that the value of the items might become reversed!

Warmup time!

Before we get into the task proper, you will now go through a warmup round that is closer to the real deal than the tutorial. Unlike in the actual task, you will still receive feedback on your choices. Like in the real task, the expert will now make some mistakes. We will let you know about those in the feedback as well. Unlike in the real task, the ranking will only reverse once.

Well done!

This was the true ranking of cards in the practice block

At first:

After reversal:

After a quick summary and some questions to ensure you understood the task, we are ready to start!

Well done!

This concludes the warmup. You scored /30 points.
The reversal took place at trial 22. Did you notice?

This was the original ranking of cards in this block

Remember that it was also reversed!

You are now ready to do the complete version of the task. The expert will still make mistakes at the same rate as you have experienced, and there will be two reversals per block. You will no longer receive feedback on your choices. Good performance will earn you a higher bonus! We will also ask you to report on when you thought reversals happened.
Best of luck, and have fun!

This was the original ranking of cards in this block

Remember that it was also reversed!

Please mark where you believe reversals occurred in the last round. You can remove a marker by clicking it again.

Thank you for completing our study.

Please check that your Prolific ID is correct. If not entered correctly, you may not be able to receive your bonus.

How old are you?

What is your gender?

Female

Male

Other

Did you keep track of the value ranking by writing it down?

Yes

How often did you notice that the value ranking within a block had reversed?

Never

Some of the time

Always

How difficult did you find it to adjust when the values of the cards were reversed?

Not difficult at all

Somewhat difficult

Very difficult

How much did you feel the expert's choices were made by a real person?

Not at all

Slightly

Moderately

Very

Extremely

How consistently did you pay attention to the expert's cards?

Not at all

Only at the start

Mostly at the start, and if I thought there was a reversal

All throughout the experiment

Did you change your strategy depending on how many cards were in the ranking?

Yes

You have now completed the experiment.

Congratulations! You have earned a bonus of $0.00

Please click here to complete the study.
Thank you for your participation!

Consent form for participation in this online experiment

Study Information

1. Purpose

2. Procedure

3. Compensation

4. Data protection

5. Voluntary participation

6. Right to refuse or withdraw

7. Risks

8. Insurance coverage

9. Responsible contact

Consent

Instructions — Please read the following very carefully:

Please answer a few questions about this study before proceeding

Tutorial

Warmup time!

Well done!

This was the true ranking of cards in the practice block

Well done!

Thank you for completing our study.

You have now completed the experiment.