Portfolio

Below are examples of my work in behavioral science, data science, and academia.

Behavioral Science

Below are examples of behavioral science projects I have worked on.

Risk Tolerance

I researched, designed, tested, validated, and implemented a psychologically-focused risk assessment questionnaire for a fintech focused on providing actionable insights to financial advisors and consumers. I was integral in moving the product from conception to launch in six months.

Behavioral Finance Assessment Tools

Research & Design

I researched, designed, and implemented eleven behavioral finance assessment tools for a lean fintech (one lead gen tool and ten survey tools). I also designed the reports generated from the tools, including content and visuals.

Digital Choice Architecture

Subject Matter Expert

I used A/B testing to measure the effect a default choice option on a website had on consumer welfare (via automatic subscription enrollment). I designed the experiment, collected the data, and summarized/visualized the results in a concise report.

Data Science

Below are examples of data science projects I have worked on.

Logistic Regression

I examined secondary data on consumer financial behavior to test the relationship between impatience and financial information search. The data was comprised of four stratified random samples of U.S. households (n = 17,360 households). I used an instrumental variable for financial search and weighted logistic regressions to determine relationships between the main variables of interest.

Factor Analysis

In this project, I conducted an online survey soliciting responses to several variables found to predict risk perception. I conducted a principal components factor estimation on this data to identify whether different variables should be combined into single measures.

Perceptual Mapping

Publications

Below are publications and selected working papers I have authored or co-authored.

The Effect of Perceived Similarity on Sequential Risk-Taking

Elizabeth C. Webb (Strait) and Suzanne B. Shu

This paper looks at how perceived similarity between sequential risks affects individuals’ risk-taking intentions. We find that, in sequential choice settings, individuals exhibit significant positive state dependence in risk-taking preferences, such that they are more likely to take a risk when it is similar to a previously taken risk than when it is dissimilar.

Webb, Elizabeth C. and Suzanne B. Shu (2018), “The Effect of Perceived Similarity on Sequential Risk-Taking,” Journal of Marketing Research, 55(6), pp.916-933.

Is Broad Bracketing Always Better?

Elizabeth C. Webb (Strait) and Suzanne B. Shu

This paper demonstrates that broad decision framing (e.g., showing cumulative outcomes as a distribution vs. describing them in text) has a positive influence on consumer preferences. This holds for positive EV, negative EV, and pure-loss financial risks.

Webb, Elizabeth C. and Suzanne B. Shu (2017), “Is broad bracketing always better? How broad decision framing leads to more optimal preferences over repeated gambles,” Judgment and Decision Making, 12(4), pp. 382-395.

Choice Set Size in Context

Marissa A. Sharif and Elizabeth C.W. Strait

In this paper, we show that expanding choice set size (e.g., from three options to nine options) increases consumers' preference for more extreme options (i.e., higher- or lower-priced options vs. middling options). This suggests that choice set size moderates the compromise effect.

Sharif, Marissa A. and Elizabeth C.W. Strait, “Seemingly More Extreme: Larger Choice Sets Shift People Towards More Extreme Options,” invited revision at Journal of Consumer Research.