Abstract
Background: Information asymmetry is a widely studied economic phenomenon. It refers to the situation in which one group in a transaction has more information than the other. Nowadays, information asymmetry has been studied not only as a financial topic but also as a potential reason for essential social problems.Objective: To take Chinese doctor–patient relationship as an example and investigate the relationship among information asymmetry, trust level, and aggression behavior using an experimental design.Methods: A total of 44 undergraduates (information asymmetry group, N = 22, 5 males, 17 females, mean age = 18.95, SD = 0.18; information symmetry group, N = 22, 7 males, 15 females, mean age = 19.27, SD = 0.18) took part in our experiment. Different slides and guidance were used to create a virtual information asymmetry situation, and we use the Wake Forest Physician Trust Scale (WFPTS) and the hot sauce allocation paradigm to measure their trust level and aggression, respectively.Results: Participants in the information asymmetry group allocated significantly more hot sauce to the doctor (p <.005, d = 1.09) and displayed significantly lower trust level (p < 0.05, d = −0.78) than the control group. Patients' trust level had a significant mediating effect (95% confidence interval [−1.39, –0.05]).Conclusion: Asymmetric information may arouse patients' aggression and lower their trust in doctors. Patients' trust level is also a significant partial mediator between their aggression and information asymmetry. The current study reinforces the urgent need for information openness in the Chinese medical system.
Highlights
IntroductionInformation asymmetry ( known as information incommensurateness) is a widely studied economic phenomenon
Information asymmetry is a widely studied economic phenomenon
As early as the 1970s, researchers have pointed out the serious results of information asymmetry, which is the breakdown in the functioning of the capital market [2]
Summary
Information asymmetry ( known as information incommensurateness) is a widely studied economic phenomenon It is defined as the situation in which one group in a transaction or communication has more information (usually better) than the other [1]. Information asymmetry has been studied as a financial topic and as a potential reason for essential social problems, such as weak. Asymmetric information worsens uncertainty for one party while allowing the other party to dominate This kind of uncertainty may lead to a series of negative results, including a lower trust level of the inferior group toward the dominant group and potentially increased aggression from the inferior group. Information asymmetry has been studied as a financial topic and as a potential reason for essential social problems
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