University of Cincinnati

Choice and Thought (CAT) Lab: Kara Svenson, Ruth Pogacar,

Ana Figueras, Mary Steffel, & Elanor F. Williams
Background
Experiment 1
Hypothesis, Methodology and Results
Experiment 2
Hypothesis, Methodology and Results
Summary and Conclusions
Discussion, Implications, and Future Directions


Defaults nudge people toward a choice by
automatically enrolling them in a designated option
Opt-In vs. Opt-Out Defaults

Libertarian Paternalism - Structuring decisions to make
choices in peoples best interests



Defaults are often applied without informing those
affected.

Critics argue that undisclosed nudges are unethical

Proponents caution disclosure could render defaults
ineffective.
We conducted experiments to better understand how
disclosures about defaults influence their effectiveness,
and peoples perceptions of them.

Does the disclosure of a default
influence its effectiveness?
So long as defaults are not yielding an influence
on behavior simply because switching from the
default would require significant effort, then
disclosing defaults should not render them
ineffective.
96 participants were asked to imagine that they were
moving into a new green apartment complex and were
randomly assigned to the following conditions:
#1

Opt-In
System

Disclaimer
First
#2

Opt-In
System

Disclaimer
Second
#3

Opt-Out
System

Disclaimer
First
#4

Opt-Out
System

Disclaimer
Second
Dependent Measure:
How many green amenities the participant included/did
not remove
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Opt-Out
Opt-In
Disclosure First
Disclosure Second
Number of Green Amenities Chosen
We conducted experiments to better understand how
disclosures about defaults influence their effectiveness,
and peoples perceptions of them.
Do people view defaults
differently when they benefit a
business vs. society?
Does the perceived ethicality
influence the effectiveness?

When people perceive that a default primarily
benefits a business rather than society, they
would be:
More likely to make an active and conscious
choice
Less likely to be passively influenced by the
question wording

193 Participants were asked to imagine moving to a new
apartment and choosing (opt-in) or retaining (opt-out) a variety
of green amenities (society benefits) or premium amenities
(business benefits)
#1
Opt-In
System

Business
Benefits

#2
Opt-In
System

Society
Benefits

#3
Opt-Out
System

Business
Benefits

#4
Opt-Out
System

Society
Benefits

Dependent Measure:
How many amenities people included/did not remove
AND perceived ethicality
4 4.5 5 5.5 6
Opt-Out
Opt-In
Premium Amenities
Green Amenities
Perceived Ethicality of Defaults On a Scale of 1-7
1= Completely Unethical, 7=Completely Ethical
Rated Ethicality
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Opt-Out
Opt-In
Benefits Business
Benefits Society
Number of Premium or Green Amenities
Hypothesis #1 was met, hypothesis #2 was not met
The disclosure of default choice architecture does not reduce
effectiveness.

Opportunity to leverage opt-out defaults to influence
societys decisions for the better

Although people view opt-out business benefiting
defaults as much less ethical than other defaults, the
perceived ethicality has no influence on the
effectiveness
Further research is required to understand exactly why
declaimers do not influence the effectiveness of
defaults.
Have participants record thoughts during study
Implied endorsements vs. reference dependence

May need public policy to protect consumers from
manipulative choice architecture that benefits the
business at the expense of the consumer
Thank you for your time!