Jonathan Levav

All Publications

• The Effect of Auditory and Visual Recommendations on Choice. Psychological science Mariadassou, S., Bechler, C. J., Levav, J. 2022: 9567976221106349

  Abstract

  We explore the effect of recommendation modality on recommendation adherence. Results from five experiments run on various online platforms (N = 6,103 adults from TurkPrime and Prolific) show that people are more likely to adhere to recommendations that they hear (auditory) than recommendations that they read (visual). This effect persists regardless of whether the auditory recommendation is spoken by a human voice or an automated voice and holds for hypothetical and consequential choices. We show that the effect is in part driven by the relative need for closure-manifested in a sense of urgency-that is evoked by the ephemerality of auditory messages. This work suggests that differences in the physical properties of auditory and visual modalities can lead to meaningful psychological and behavioral consequences.

  View details for DOI 10.1177/09567976221106349

  View details for PubMedID 36282898

• A Reexamination of the Impact of Decision Conflict on Choice Deferral MANAGEMENT SCIENCE Evangelidis, I., Levav, J., Simonson, I. 2022

  View details for DOI 10.1287/mnsc.2022.4484

  View details for Web of Science ID 000835613000001

• Price promotions and "freemium" app monetization QME-QUANTITATIVE MARKETING AND ECONOMICS Runge, J., Levav, J., Nair, H. S. 2022

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s11129-022-09248-3

  View details for Web of Science ID 000823371900001

• Publisher Correction: Virtual communication curbs creative idea generation. Nature Brucks, M. S., Levav, J. 2022

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41586-022-04852-5

  View details for PubMedID 35672472

• Compatibility effects in the perception of dispersion. Cognition Bechler, C. J., Levav, J. 2022; 225: 105166

  Abstract

  In this paper, we show how one property of an average affects perceptions of the variance of the distribution that the average is derived from. Specifically, we find that when people view average ratings compatible with a possible input they perceive these ratings to come from less variable distributions-even when this is statistically less likely. Six experiments and four supplemental studies (total N=16,988) document evidence for this effect: People perceive less dispersion in the distributions of "compatible average ratings" (i.e., averages matching a possible input; e.g., 4; 4.0; 4.00 on a discrete scale from 1 to 5 stars) compared to those of "non-compatible average ratings" (i.e., averages that do not match a possible input; e.g., 4.01 and 4.10). We argue that this error can be explained by a compatibility principle which states that the weighting of an input increases with its degree of compatibility with the output. People rely on the perceived compatibility between an output and input when forming judgments about the frequency of the input, affecting their assessment of the dispersion associated with the average. For instance, people recognize that a 4.0 average matches a 4 and thus perceive this average to be comprised of more 4s and indicative of less dispersion. We close with a discussion of consequences of this perception for choice and search.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.cognition.2022.105166

  View details for PubMedID 35644092

• Virtual communication curbs creative idea generation. Nature Brucks, M. S., Levav, J. 2022

  Abstract

  COVID-19 accelerated a decade-long shift to remote work by normalizing working from home on a large scale. Indeed, 75% of US employees in a 2021 survey reported a personal preference for working remotely at least one day per week1, and studies estimate that 20% of US workdays will take place at home after the pandemic ends2. Here we examine how this shift away from in-person interaction affects innovation, which relies on collaborative idea generation as the foundation of commercial and scientific progress3. In a laboratory study and a field experiment across five countries (in Europe, the Middle East and South Asia), we show that videoconferencing inhibits the production of creative ideas. By contrast, when it comes to selecting which idea to pursue, we find no evidence that videoconferencing groups are less effective (and preliminary evidence that they may be more effective) than in-person groups. Departing from previous theories that focus on how oral and written technologies limit the synchronicity and extent of information exchanged4-6, we find that our effects are driven by differences in the physical nature of videoconferencing and in-person interactions. Specifically, using eye-gazeand recall measures, as well as latent semantic analysis, we demonstrate that videoconferencing hampers idea generation because it focuses communicators on a screen, which prompts a narrower cognitive focus. Our results suggest that virtual interaction comes with a cognitive cost for creative idea generation.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41586-022-04643-y

  View details for PubMedID 35477754

• Preference Reversals Between Digital and Physical Goods JOURNAL OF MARKETING RESEARCH Catapano, R., Shennib, F., Levav, J. 2022; 59 (2): 353-373

  View details for DOI 10.1177/00222437211065020

  View details for Web of Science ID 000771572700006

• Process Utility and the Effect of Inaction Frames MANAGEMENT SCIENCE Evangelidis, I., Levav, J. 2019; 65 (5): 2328–41

  View details for DOI 10.1287/mnsc.2017.3013

  View details for Web of Science ID 000467797300020

• The Asymmetric Impact of Context on Advantaged Versus Disadvantaged Options JOURNAL OF MARKETING RESEARCH Evangelidis, I., Levav, J., Simonson, I. 2018; 55 (2): 239–53

  View details for DOI 10.1509/jmr.14.0483

  View details for Web of Science ID 000427991000006

• The Compensatory Consumer Behavior Model: How self-discrepancies drive consumer behavior JOURNAL OF CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGY Mandel, N., Rucker, D. D., Levav, J., Galinsky, A. D. 2017; 27 (1): 133-146

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jcps.2016.05.003

  View details for Web of Science ID 000392041100013

• The Effect of Preference Expression Modality on Self-Control JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH Klesse, A., Levav, J., Goukens, C. 2015; 42 (4): 535-550

  View details for DOI 10.1093/jcr/ucv043

  View details for Web of Science ID 000369590600002

• Anticipating Divine Protection? Reminders of God Can Increase Nonmoral Risk Taking PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE Kupor, D. M., Laurin, K., Levav, J. 2015; 26 (4): 374-384

  Abstract

  Religiosity and participation in religious activities have been linked with decreased risky behavior. In the current research, we hypothesized that exposure to the concept of God can actually increase people's willingness to engage in certain types of risks. Across seven studies, reminders of God increased risk taking in nonmoral domains. This effect was mediated by the perceived danger of a risky option and emerged more strongly among individuals who perceive God as a reliable source of safety and protection than among those who do not. Moreover, in an eighth study, when participants were first reminded of God and then took a risk that produced negative consequences (i.e., when divine protection failed to materialize), participants reported feeling more negatively toward God than did participants in the same situation who were not first reminded of God. This research contributes to an understanding of the divergent effects that distinct components of religion can exert on behavior.

  View details for DOI 10.1177/0956797614563108

  View details for Web of Science ID 000352986600002

  View details for PubMedID 25717040

• Prominence Versus Dominance: How Relationships Between Alternatives Drive Decision Strategy and Choice JOURNAL OF MARKETING RESEARCH Evangelidis, I., Levav, J. 2013; 50 (6): 753-766

  View details for Web of Science ID 000327810600006

• The Effect of Ordering Decisions by Choice-Set Size on Consumer Search JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH Levav, J., Reinholtz, N., Lin, C. 2012; 39 (3): 585-599

  View details for DOI 10.1086/664498

  View details for Web of Science ID 000309164500011