Study title

Decision-Making in a Common Pool Resource Game Experiment 2020

Dataset ID Number

FSD3668

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3668
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3668

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Herne, Kaisa (Tampere University)
• Lappalainen, Olli (University of Turku)
• Kuyper, Jonathan (Queens University Belfast)

Abstract

The study examined participants' decision-making in a common pool resource game experiment. The experiment was conducted on computers in a decision-making laboratory. The participants' task was to use points given to them to invest in and withdraw from the common pool resources.

The participants were randomly divided into groups of three. Each member of the group was given a number from one to three, which determined the order of decision-making. The experiment had ten rounds, and the participants received 10 points as their initial capital at the beginning of each round. During each round, the participants made two decisions. First, they decided how many points from their initial capital they would invest into the common pool resources. Then, the participants decided how many points they would withdraw from the common pool resources. The points withdrawn from the common pool resources were added to the points the participants had not invested. The largest amount a participant could withdraw during one round was 30 points, provided that the common pool resources had at least 30 points during the participant's decision-making turn. The resources available to the participants (the common pool resources and the initial capital) were reset between each round.

The decision to invest points in the common pool resources was done simultaneously by the participants, but the decisions to withdraw points from the resources were done according to the pre-determined order of decision-making. Before making the decision to invest and withdraw, participants in the same group could message each other in a chat. According to the rules of the chat, the participants had to justify any suggestions they made regarding investing and withdrawing, and the messages could not contain any information that could lead to identifying the participants.

At the end of the experiment, the points were converted into euros. One point was equivalent to 50 cents. The reward paid to the participants was determined by the amount of points the participants had saved of their initial capital and the amount of points they had withdrawn from the common pool resources. The round based on which the reward was paid was randomly selected after the experiment had ended. The reward was equivalent to what the participants had earned during the selected round.

No background information was collected on the participants.

Keywords

behavioural sciences; decision making; human behaviour; rewards; roles

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Social behaviour and attitudes (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Decision-Making Laboratory Experiments and Surveys

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (A) openly available for all users without registration (CC BY 4.0).

Data Collector

• PCRC Decision Laboratory (PCRClab)

Funders

• Academy of Finland. The Strategic Research Council (326662)

Time Period Covered

2019 – 2020

Collection Dates

2019-11-19 – 2020-03-05

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Event/Process/Activity

Universe

Volunteer participants from the participant register of the PCRC Decision Laboratory (PCRClab) of University of Turku

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Mixed probability and non-probability

The participants were members of the PCRC Decision Laboratory's (PCRClab) participant register. The sample was randomly drawn from among the members of the register.

Anyone can sign up as a volunteer participant in the PCRClab participant register. The register has over 2,000 members, who are primarily students. Participation in experiments is compensated with a monetary reward. The laboratory can accommodate up to 20 participants at a time. Each participant is allocated their own desk and computer. To ensure an even number of participants for each experimental session, 21 participants are recruited for each session, with one of the 21 participants acting as a replacement. If all the participants attend the experimental session, the replacement participant will not need to participate and they will receive compensation for their time.

Collection Mode

Laboratory experiment

Research Instrument

Participant tasks

Data File Language

Downloaded data package may contain different language versions of the same files.

The data files of this dataset are available in the following languages: English.

FSD translates quantitative data into English on request, free of charge. More information on ordering data translation.

Number of Cases and Variables

59 variables and 1710 cases.

Data Version

1.0

Related Datasets

FSD3692 Deliberative Mini-Public on the Satakunta 2050 Regional Plan

Weighting

There are no weight variables in the data.

Citation Requirement

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical Citation

Herne, Kaisa (Tampere University) & Lappalainen, Olli (University of Turku) & Kuyper, Jonathan (Queens University Belfast): Decision-Making in a Common Pool Resource Game Experiment 2020 [dataset]. Version 1.0 (2023-09-04). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3668

Deposit Requirement

Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.

Disclaimer

The original data creators and the archive bear no responsibility for any results or interpretations arising from the reuse of the data.

Related Materials

Website of the PCRC Decision Laboratory

FSD has not been informed of any publications related to the data.