Failure to CAPTCHA Attention: Null Results from an Honesty Priming Experiment in Guatemala
Stewart Kettle; Marco Hernandez; Mike Sanders; Oliver Hauser; Simon Ruda · 2017 · Behavioral Sciences
WASTE classifies this as Negative / Null Result Report · AI classification, approximate
The study found no significant effect — useful as a negative control or null benchmark for your own design.
Abstract
We report results from a large online randomised tax experiment in Guatemala. The trial involves short messages and choices presented to taxpayers as part of a CAPTCHA pop-up window immediately before they file a tax return, with the aim of priming honest declarations. In total our sample includes 627,242 taxpayers and 3,232,430 tax declarations made over four months. Treatments include: honesty declaration; information about public goods; information about penalties for dishonesty, questions allowing a taxpayer to choose which public good they think tax money should be spent on; or questions
Abstract by Stewart Kettle; Marco Hernandez; Mike Sanders; Oliver Hauser; Simon Ruda, Behavioral Sciences (2017) — licensed CC BY 4.0.
About to run something similar?
Run an AI Precheck on your own design to catch failure modes like this one before you spend the time. Your first desk check is free.
Related failures
Investigating Variation in Replicability
Negative / Null Result ReportMany Labs 2: Investigating Variation in Replicability Across Samples and Settings
Failed Experiment ReportGetting Ahead in the Communist Party: Explaining the Advancement of Central Committee Members in China
Negative / Null Result ReportReducing implicit racial preferences: II. Intervention effectiveness across time.
Negative / Null Result ReportTHE IMPACT OF IMMIGRATION ON THE STRUCTURE OF WAGES: THEORY AND EVIDENCE FROM BRITAIN
Negative / Null Result ReportRevisiting the Marshmallow Test: A Conceptual Replication Investigating Links Between Early Delay of Gratification and Later Outcomes
WASTE indexes this work — it does not host or republish it. Failure-type classification is automated and approximate.
Metadata source: OpenAlex · DOI 10.3390/bs7020028
