Bio
I am a Ph.D. candidate in Economics at the Graduate School of Economics, Finance, and Management at Goethe University Frankfurt.
My research interests lie in behavioral and experimental economics, with a focus on the interplay between cognitive biases and individual decision making.
Curriculum Vitae (Updated March 2025)
How to pronounce my name
Email: zhuokun.liu@econ.uni-frankfurt.de
Address:
Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 4
Goethe University Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main, 60323
Germany
Work in Progress
Stereotypes and Memory
(with Huen Tat Au-Yeung)
Abstract (click to expand): Imperfect memory can sustain widely held stereotypes that are inaccurate. To establish causal evidence, we conduct an online experiment where subjects grade a gender-stereotyped quiz and later predict the performance of the same group on a similar quiz. We vary (1) reliance on memory by manipulating access to grading records and (2) the sample of quiz-takers by manipulating the gender performance gap in the quiz. Defining the perceived gender performance gap as stereotypes, we find that stereotypes persist more strongly when subjects rely on memory, but only when the gap in the quiz is in the opposite direction of the stereotypes. Then, we extend the standard Bayesian framework to incorporate imperfect memory and find evidence of memory attenuation: subjects place less weight on graded quiz performance by 50%, due to uncertainty and potential contamination in recall, with contamination accounting for 72% of the effect.
Communication and the Polarization of Trust Cultures
(with Ferdinand von Siemens)
Abstract (click to expand): Trust attitudes are essential for cooperation but differ substantially across social groups. While selection may explain these differences, communication could also play an important role in shaping trust. Group polarization theory suggests that communication fosters consensus within while increasing differences across groups. To test this argument, we conduct an online experiment in which some participants communicate before playing separate trust games. Importantly, participants only communicate with other participants in the same role --~trustors talk with other trustors. Our results show that communication does not affect average trust attitudes but reduces the variation in trust within groups while increasing trust differences between groups, thus leading to a polarization of trust cultures. We further find that groups that develop strong positive trust cultures focus their discussions on both moral principles and self-interest, seemingly guided by enlightened self-interest. These findings have possible implications for the management of organizations and social media platforms.
