Menu Preferences

Last registered on July 22, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Menu Preferences
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0019140
Initial registration date
July 13, 2026

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
July 22, 2026, 7:49 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country
United States of America
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Moritz Loewenfeld
Affiliation
University of Vienna
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Jiakun Zheng
PI Affiliation

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-07-14
End date
2026-07-24
Keywords
Behavior
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We study menu preferences, in particular preferences for smaller menus that might arise from regret or heuristic menu evaluation.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Loewenfeld, Moritz and Jiakun Zheng. 2026. "Menu Preferences." AEA RCT Registry. July 22. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.19140-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2026-07-14
Intervention End Date
2026-07-24

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The primary outcome variables are participants' valuations of menus of lotteries, elicited using a BDM mechanism. We also study participants' choices from menus as a secondary behavioral outcome. Details can be found in the pre-analysis plan.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Participants complete an incentivized online decision-making experiment. They make valuations and choices involving menus of lotteries. The experiment varies the structure of the menus and the relationship between the lotteries within a menu. Participants are recruited from Prolific and receive a fixed payment plus a performance-dependent bonus. Details can be found in the pre-analysis plan.

The experiment includes several within-subject task types that differ in the lotteries contained in the menu and in their correlation structure. These tasks are designed to test predictions from models of decision-making under risk. All participants encounter the same set of task types. There are no separate treatment and control groups.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Participants complete an incentivized online decision-making experiment. They make valuations and choices involving menus of lotteries. The experiment varies the structure of the menus and the relationship between the lotteries within a menu. Participants are recruited from Prolific and receive a fixed payment plus a performance-dependent bonus. Details can be found in the pre-analysis plan.
Randomization Unit
The unit of randomization is the individual participant. All participants complete the same set of experimental tasks. At the individual level, the computer randomizes features such as the order of tasks and the position in which the lotteries are displayed. There is no random assignment of participants to separate treatment and control groups.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
250 participants
Sample size: planned number of observations
250 participants
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Not applicable. There are no between-subject treatment arms. All participants complete all main valuation and choice tasks; randomization occurs at the participant level through task order.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Vienna Center for Experimental Economics
IRB Approval Date
2026-07-09
IRB Approval Number
2026_014
Analysis Plan

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