CRC/TRR 190/2: Biases and decision impairments in markets (SP A04)

The project investigates how market outcomes are influenced by limited information and external impediments such as deadlines, cognitive load, and complexity. The focus in the third funding period lies on the regulation of modern marketplaces, which are often characterized by substantial decision impediments like product complexity, time demand, unmanageable numbers of choice options, and the interaction with AI agents, all of which may induce decision biases. The team will derive recommendations for policy-relevant topics like consumer search, targeted advertising, privacy protocols, and online reviews, via a combination of experimental and theoretical approaches.