Menu Preferences

Last registered on October 16, 2026

View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

Menu Preferences

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0019757

Initial registration date

September 18, 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

October 16, 2026, 1:47 PM 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

Completed

Start date

2026-09-18

End date

2026-09-24

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. We test the robustness of results we obtained for valuation tasks to a setting with binary menu choices.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Loewenfeld, Moritz and Jiakun Zheng. 2026. "Menu Preferences." AEA RCT Registry. October 16. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.19757-1.0

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

Intervention (Hidden)

Intervention Start Date

2026-09-18

Intervention End Date

2026-09-24

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

The primary outcome variables are participants' choices between menus of lotteries. 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

Participants complete an incentivized online decision-making experiment. They make binary choices between menus of lotteries. The experiment varies the structure of the menus and the relationship between the lotteries within a menu. In particular, we vary the size of menus, their composition, and how the payoffs of the lotteries within a menu are correlated in order to study how these features impact choices between menus. A detailed description is given in the analysis plan.

All participants encounter the same choice tasks. Between participants, we randomize the task order. We use this randomization to assess whether order effects influence how menu preferences respond to the features of interest, that is, menu composition and the correlation of payoffs 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 menus 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

Randomization Method

Participants complete an incentivized online decision-making experiment. Randomization occurs only regarding the order in which participants encounter different choice tasks. This randomization implemented by a computer. There is no random assignment of participants to separate treatment and control groups. 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?

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