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Research Areas

I am broadly interested in topics related to financial decision making. My current research explores (1) how consumers' work affects their perceptions of income size and downstream spending; (2) how consumers set budgets and assess their available funds;  (3) the interplay between consumption and investment decisions; and (4) how people think about financial inequality. 

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Links to select published manuscripts and working papers are provided at the bottom of this page!

Research Methods

Whenever possible, I try to collect experimental data in engaging, realistic, and data-rich environments. Below are three examples of experimental paradigms I have created. I really enjoy creating, using, and sharing these paradigms. Here's a little .qsf file to get started with mouse-tracking in Qualtrics. Further below is an abstract and link to a more comprehensive (though still developing) guide to creating an Online Behavioral Store for research purposes.
 

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Online store from

Dissertation Essay 1 

(Solo authored)

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Experimental game from 

Dissertation Essay 2

(with Stephen Spiller)

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Mouse-tracking from

Dissertation Essay 3 

(with Stephanie Smith and Stephen Spiller)

Conducting Experimental Research on Shopify: An Initial Discussion and Guide to Getting Started

      Solo-authored. Available on SSRN.

This paper introduces the online behavioral store as a tool for conducting research through e-commerce platforms. Online behavioral stores offer many possible benefits, including enhancing experimental realism, measuring actual behavior, and creating a consequential choice environment. Stores do not need to actually sell products to enhance experimental designs; however, using an online behavioral store to make real sales is a viable strategy for conducting field experiments without a field partner. This paper provides a preliminary guide to creating and using an online behavioral store in a fast and cost-efficient manner. The methods described here do not require any coding knowledge and leverage an assortment of off-the-shelf Shopify tools and third-party applications. Using this approach, you can establish your own store capable of conducting on-site experiments (A/B tests), measuring individual-level behavior, and matching that behavior with external identifiers (e.g., Qualtrics information). The functionality, methods, and best practices surrounding online behavioral stores are in an early stage of development, and all should continue to improve.

© 2025 David Dolifka

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