Steven Shaw

Steven Shaw
  • Postdoctoral Researcher

Contact Information

  • office Address:

    Marketing Department
    The Wharton School
    University of Pennsylvania
    3730 Walnut Street, JMHH 700
    Philadelphia, PA 19104

Links: Personal Website

Research

  • Steven Shaw (2026), CLIMR: Construal level international multilab replication project, Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science..
  • Steven Shaw, Disentangling the dimensions of aging in marketing; The role of biological aging in consumer preferences.
  • Steven Shaw, Global happiness megastudy.
  • Steven Shaw, Nostalgia marketing: Guiding the consumer home.
  • Steven Shaw, Using LLMs as stimulus engines to improve the generalizability of experiments.
  • Steven Shaw, Nothing voodoo about neuroforecasting: Identifying behavioral proxies that attenuate neural predictions and forecasts.
  • Steven Shaw and Gideon Nave (2026), Thinking—Fast, Slow, and Artificial: How AI is Reshaping Human Reasoning and the Rise of Cognitive Surrender, . Abstract

    People increasingly consult generative artificial intelligence (AI) while reasoning. As AI becomes embedded in daily thought, what becomes of human judgment? We introduce Tri-System Theory, extending dual-process accounts of reasoning by positing System 3: artificial cognition that operates outside the brain. System 3 can supplement or supplant internal processes, introducing novel cognitive pathways. A key prediction of the theory is “cognitive surrender”-adopting AI outputs with minimal scrutiny, overriding intuition (System 1) and deliberation (System 2). Across three preregistered experiments using an adapted Cognitive Reflection Test (N = 1,372; 9,593 trials), we randomized AI accuracy via hidden seed prompts. Participants chose to consult an AI assistant on a majority of trials (>50%). Relative to baseline (no System 3 access), accuracy significantly rose when AI was accurate and fell when it erred (+25/-15 percentage points; Study 1), the behavioral signature of cognitive surrender (AI-Accurate vs. AI-Faulty contrast; Cohen’s h = 0.81). Engaging System 3 also increased confidence, even following errors. Time pressure (Study 2) and per-item incentives and feedback (Study 3) shifted baseline performance but did not eliminate this pattern: when accurate, AI buffered time-pressure costs and amplified incentive gains; when faulty, it consistently reduced accuracy regardless of situational moderators. Across studies, participants with higher trust in AI and lower need for cognition and fluid intelligence showed greater surrender to System 3. Tri-System Theory thus characterizes a triadic cognitive ecology, revealing how System 3 reframes human reasoning and may reshape autonomy and accountability in the age of AI.

  • Steven Shaw (2026), Does testosterone affect cognitive reflection? Evidence from a double-blind, randomized controlled study of 1,000 participants, Psychological Science.
  • Steven Shaw (2025), The impact of affective congruence on charitable giving, Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.
  • Steven Shaw, Remi Daviet, Gideon Nave (2025), Biological Age and its Value to Marketing Theory and Practice, . Abstract

    Aging has profound effects on how we consume, yet, marketers often simplify aging to the mere passage of time (chronological age; ChronAge). This simplification overlooks fundamental biological and psychological aspects of the aging process, and neglects meaningful variation within ChronAge segments. This paper highlights the need for multi-dimensional approaches to studying aging consumers and pioneers a framework that integrates biological aging into consumer behavior theory. We introduce a measure of biological age (BioAge), derived from epigenetic data, to the field. Using Health and Retirement Study data, we empirically demonstrate that BioAge captures distinct aspects of aging, not reflected in ChronAge, and improves prediction of consumer activities and spending. BioAge is most useful for predicting technology use, social engagement, physical activity, and discretionary spending on entertainment-even when marketers have access to rich demographic, psychosocial, lifestyle, and financial information. Further, we show that BioAge mediates the impact of time on consumer behavior, and operates through objective physiological pathways, like chronic disease, cognitive functioning, and physical vitality, rather than subjective perceptions of health. We conclude with implications and best practices, including how BioAge can improve segmentation and customer lifetime value optimization, along with the ethical and legal challenges of its use in research and practice.

  • All Research from Steven Shaw »

Teaching

Past Courses

  • MKTG2110 - Consumer Behavior

    This course is concerned with how and why people behave as consumers. Its goals are to: (1) provide conceptual understanding of consumer behavior, (2) provide experience in the application of buyer behavior concepts to marketing management decisions and social policy decision-making; and (3) to develop analytical capability in using behavioral research.

In the News

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Activity

Latest Research

Steven Shaw (2026), CLIMR: Construal level international multilab replication project, Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science..
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In the News

Rethinking Urban Tax Policy Through Land Value Taxation

Wharton professor emeritus of finance explains how taxing land instead of buildings or income could help cities raise revenue while encouraging economic growth.…Read More

Knowledge @ Wharton - 2026/05/8
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