Shahryar Mohsenin

My research focuses on topics related to consumer judgment and decision-making, with a particular emphasis on information processing. To get deeper insight into how consumers process information and how it influences their behavior, I leverage cognitive psychology.

My dissertation, comprising two essays, examines difficulty in processing information across different formats—auditory, textual, and visual information. It delves into topics such as voice technology, gender stereotypes, heuristics, and choice. 

In addition to my current research, I am exploring several intriguing marketing topics. One of my projects delves into behavioral pricing, where I investigate how consumers’ perceptions of past price fluctuations can shape their purchase decisions. I am also deeply engaged in studying the role of psycholinguistics in both online reviews and brand naming domains. For instance, I am examining how different types of "Textisms"—use of unconventional writing, abbreviations, and informal language styles in text messaging and other forms of digital communication —affect perceived helpfulness of online reviews. Focusing on the morphological linguistic aspects of brand names, I am investigating how abbreviated brand names influence brand performance and consumer support, including purchase intentions, brand choice, and customer engagement. 

JOB MARKET PAPER

“Disfluency Increases Reliance on Heuristic Cues in Consumer Choice” 

Under 2^nd round review at Journal of Consumer Research. 

Abstract

Marketing materials often create difficulties for consumers through elements like unconventional fonts or distracting background images, leading to “disfluency,” or a sense of difficulty processing information. Scholars disagree as to whether disfluency prompts consumers to think more carefully and systematically or to resort to simpler heuristic-based decision-making strategies. Ten experiments show that disfluency leads to more heuristic processing during consumer choices. We demonstrate that, as a consequence, consumers rely more on heuristic cues like brand name, a recommendation, or country of origin when faced with disfluency, meaningfully advancing on past research. The results also help to explain why previous research showed mixed results, noting that disfluency impacts consumer choices differently than tasks with objective answers.

PUBLICATIONS

Mohsenin, S., & Munz, K. P. (2024). Gender-Ambiguous Voices and Social Disfluency, Psychological Science, 35 (5), 543 – 557. [Link] 

• 2021 Bocconi Junior Research Grant 
• 2022 Presented at the Society for Judgment and Decision-Making (SJDM) Annual Conference
• 2023 Presented at the European Association of Consumer Research (EACR) Annual Conference, Amsterdam, Netherlands
• 2023 Presented at Association of Consumer Research (ACR) Annual Conference, Seattle, USA  

WORKING PAPERS

Mohsenin, S., & Munz, K. P. "Disfluency Increases Reliance on Heuristic Cues in Consumer Choice,” Under 2nd round review at Journal of Consumer Research. [Job Market Paper]

• 2023 Best Presentation Award at 8th  Mediterranean Symposium for Consumer Behavior Research Conference, ie Business School
• 2024 Presented at Australian & New Zealand Marketing Academy (ANZMAC) annual conference, Tasmania, Australia

ONGOING PROJECTS

"Abbreviated brand names," Six studies completed, manuscript in preparation for submission to Journal of Marketing

"Historical Price Fluctuation and Purchase Decision: The Role of Our Perception," with Kurt Munz and Hean Tat Keh (Monash University), Four studies completed, targeting Journal of Marketing Research

"Textism Writing Style," with Amir Sepehri (Essec Business School), secondary data analysis in progress, targeting Journal of Marketing Research

"Abstract Mental Representations with Horizontal Images," with Amir Sepehri (Essec Business School), two studies completed, targeting Journal of Personality and Social Psychology