Four essays in consumer decision-making

Abstract

The dissertation is composed of four chapters. 1. Inherent, constructed, revealed Preferences: Guidelines for marketers. After reviewing the debate on consumer preferences, I suggest concrete steps that marketers can use to measure inherent preferences and exploit context effects. 2. The Intermediate Alternative Effect: Considering a small tradeoff increases subsequent willingness to make large tradeoffs. I propose and show that the “endowment effect” can be reduced by first offering consumers options that represent an intermediate shift from the status quo and the alternative. 3. Same world, different perceptions: Systems of measurement affect judgments. I propose and show that citizens of different countries perceive differently semantically equivalent information because they use different systems of measurement. 4. Online experimentation: Amazon Mechanical Turk. I validate Mechanical Turk as a subject pool and discuss extensively its advantages and causes of concern.

La tesi si compone di quattro capitoli. 1. Inherent, constructed, revealed Preferences: Guidelines for marketers. Dopo una rassegna della letteratura, suggerisco modi concreti in cui i manager possono misurare le preferenze innate e sfruttare gli effetti di contesto. 2. The intermediate alternative effect: Considering a small tradeoff increases subsequent willingness to make large tradeoffs. Propongo e provo che l’“effetto dotazione” può essere ridotto offrendo precedentemente ai consumatori un’opzione che rappresenta un passaggio intermedio dallo status quo all’opzione alternativa. 3. Same world, different perceptions: Systems of measurement affect judgments. Propongo e provo in due studi sperimentali che cittadini di paesi diversi percepiscono diversamente informazioni equivalenti perché le considerano con diversi sistemi di misurazione. 4. Online experimentation: Amazon Mechanical Turk. Valido Mechanical Turk come subject pool e ne discuto in modo esteso vantaggi e rischi.