Being in the right place: A natural field experiment on the causes of position effects in individual choice
This paper aims to better understand why individuals tend to select items at the top of lists. Within a natural field experiment, we randomize the order in which new economics research papers are presented in email alerts and measure the subsequent download activity. Our novel disaggregate data allo...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
ELSEVIER
2022
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/88778 |
| _version_ | 1848765080963907584 |
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| author | Harris, Mark Novarese, M. Wilson, C.M. |
| author_facet | Harris, Mark Novarese, M. Wilson, C.M. |
| author_sort | Harris, Mark |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | This paper aims to better understand why individuals tend to select items at the top of lists. Within a natural field experiment, we randomize the order in which new economics research papers are presented in email alerts and measure the subsequent download activity. Our novel disaggregate data allows us to evidence i) how position effects vary across users, ii) the order in which users select their items, and iii) how position effects are related to users’ selection orders. Overall, the findings are most consistent with an explanation of choice fatigue where users consider the listed items in a downwards-then-upwards order. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:29:34Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-88778 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:29:34Z |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publisher | ELSEVIER |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-887782022-06-27T07:54:51Z Being in the right place: A natural field experiment on the causes of position effects in individual choice Harris, Mark Novarese, M. Wilson, C.M. Social Sciences Economics Business & Economics Position effect Order effect Choice fatigue Prominence Lists CONSUMER SEARCH BALLOT POSITION ORDER PROMINENCE RANKINGS IMPACT This paper aims to better understand why individuals tend to select items at the top of lists. Within a natural field experiment, we randomize the order in which new economics research papers are presented in email alerts and measure the subsequent download activity. Our novel disaggregate data allows us to evidence i) how position effects vary across users, ii) the order in which users select their items, and iii) how position effects are related to users’ selection orders. Overall, the findings are most consistent with an explanation of choice fatigue where users consider the listed items in a downwards-then-upwards order. 2022 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/88778 10.1016/j.jebo.2021.12.004 English ELSEVIER restricted |
| spellingShingle | Social Sciences Economics Business & Economics Position effect Order effect Choice fatigue Prominence Lists CONSUMER SEARCH BALLOT POSITION ORDER PROMINENCE RANKINGS IMPACT Harris, Mark Novarese, M. Wilson, C.M. Being in the right place: A natural field experiment on the causes of position effects in individual choice |
| title | Being in the right place: A natural field experiment on the causes of position effects in individual choice |
| title_full | Being in the right place: A natural field experiment on the causes of position effects in individual choice |
| title_fullStr | Being in the right place: A natural field experiment on the causes of position effects in individual choice |
| title_full_unstemmed | Being in the right place: A natural field experiment on the causes of position effects in individual choice |
| title_short | Being in the right place: A natural field experiment on the causes of position effects in individual choice |
| title_sort | being in the right place: a natural field experiment on the causes of position effects in individual choice |
| topic | Social Sciences Economics Business & Economics Position effect Order effect Choice fatigue Prominence Lists CONSUMER SEARCH BALLOT POSITION ORDER PROMINENCE RANKINGS IMPACT |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/88778 |