More Information = Less Aggression? Impact of Information Asymmetry on Chinese Patients' Aggression.

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. 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. A total of 44 undergraduates (information asymmetry group, = 22, 5 males, 17 females, mean age = 18.95, = 0.18; information symmetry group, = 22, 7 males, 15 females, mean age = 19.27, = 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. Participants in the information asymmetry group allocated significantly more hot sauce to the doctor ( <.005, = 1.09) and displayed significantly lower trust level ( < 0.05, = -0.78) than the control group. Patients' trust level had a significant mediating effect (95% confidence interval [-1.39, -0.05]). 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.