Supervisors: Jacob Lund Orquin & Sebastian Gluth, Hamburg University
Discussants: Panagiotis Mitkidis & Ingo Kleindienst

Abstract
Policymakers seek to shape consumer decisions by providing specific product information. However, consumers often avoid relevant information when making choices, despite claiming that it is important. This behavior, known as information avoidance, is defined as any behavior intended to prevent or delay the acquisition of available but potentially unwanted information. Although several methods have been developed to measure information avoidance, most of them rely on explicit measures, which suffer from methodological challenges such as social desirability bias. Therefore, the present study aims to develop an implicit measure of information avoidance using mouse-tracking, which captures potential decision conflict when participants choose to avoid information. In a series of developmental experiments, we adapted a dictator game task in which participants allocate a bonus between themselves and a charity. Participants are given the choice to reveal hidden information about their own payoff or the donation to charity. In two main studies (N1 = 144, N2 = 148), we developed a new implicit metric based on mouse cursor data and benchmarked it against two explicit information avoidance scales. Results showed that our implicit metric was better able to predict information avoidance compared to the explicit scales.

Building on this foundation, the broader PhD project aims to fill the current knowledge gap concerning the antecedents, consequences, and interventions for consumer information avoidance using this novel implicit measure. The second paper will investigate the reasons and mechanisms underlying information avoidance. The third paper will explore potential interventions from a product perspective for mitigating information avoidance.

Everyone is welcome!