Knowledge SUCCESS conducted a series of three behavioral lab experiments between June 2021 and February 2022 to understand the drivers of information-sharing behavior and any gender differentials:
- Testing behavioral nudges to motivate general information sharing through an adaptation of an experimental approach widely used in the behavioral sciences field called the “public goods game.”
- Testing alternative words and phrases for failure that have a positive connotation through a word-association game.
- Testing behavioral nudges and different terms for failure to encourage sharing of failures through an email-based experiment. This experiment also tested gender differences in intent to share failures when having to take questions from an audience. This was based on prior studies that have shown that women experience more hostility than men when presenting at conferences.
Find more information about each experiment in a summary table.
The sample for the three experiments totaled 1,493 respondents spanning Africa and Asia. Ms. Yusuf explained that 70% of the sample was from East Africa and slightly more men than women were recruited (55% vs. 44%, respectively). Most (70%) of the participants were health professionals while the remainder were professionals working in other areas outside of health. Participants were randomly assigned to each of the three experiments and then, within the experiments, to treatment groups. The participants were also further randomized by their region and whether their preferred language was English or French. The sample completing each experiment ranged from 281 to 548.
Part 2: Results of the Information Sharing Experiment
Ms. Yusuf described the first experiment, which tested two behavioral primers—social norms and an incentive in the form of personal recognition—to determine which has the largest effect on information sharing. The experiment also tested if individuals are more or less likely to share information if they are aware that their partner is of the same or different gender identity. (Click the arrow in each drop-down for details.)