0000000000349346
AUTHOR
Barbara Fasolo
Individual differences in adaptive choice strategies
Abstract Individual differences in compensatory and non-compensatory choice processes remain an unresolved issue for decision process researchers. This study investigates the stability and nature of individual differences in choice processes when individuals adapt to changes in the structure of the choice environment, namely the correlation among the choice attributes. By means of process tracing techniques, between-subjects differences in choice processing (option-based or attribute based) were found to be stable across different tasks. Individuals with higher openness to experience and ability to solve reasoning tasks were found to be more adaptive, that is to switch more promptly their c…
Animation attracts: The attraction effect in an on-line shopping environment
Two studies examine the attraction effect - an inconsistent choice behavior typically observed when consumers are presented with two products (target and competitor), both good for different reasons, and a worse "decoy" - in the context of on-line consumer decisions with different product displays (animated or static). The experiments, with different participant populations, show that the attraction effect in an on-line shopping environment depends on the animation format of the products. Experiment 1 (with Italian participants) suggests that the attraction effect is eliminated when target and competitor are both animated and is accentuated when the target is animated and the competitor is …
The effect of choice complexity on perception of time spent choosing: When choice takes longer but feels shorter
Two studies examine the effect of the complexity of the choice environment on the perceived duration of the time spent choosing. The experiments demonstrate that the estimation of the time spent making a decision is affected by the number of options available in the choice set. In Experiment 1, participants having to choose 1 of 24 mobile phones tended to underestimate the time spent whereas participants confronted with the choice of 6 mobile phones tended to overestimate the actual time spent. Experiment 2 corroborates this finding, in the presence of varying degrees of attribute correlation. We conclude with theoretical and practical implications for marketers. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, I…
Maximizing versus satisficing in the digital age: Disjoint scales and the case for “construct consensus”
Abstract A question facing us today, in the new and rapidly evolving digital age, is whether searching for the best option – being a maximizer – leads to greater happiness and better outcomes than settling on the first good enough option found – or “satisficing.” Answers to this question inform behavioural insights to improve well-being and decision-making in policy and organizational settings. Yet, the answers to this fundamental question of measurement of the happiness of a maximizer versus a satisficer in the current psychological literature are: 1) conflicting; 2) anchored on the use of the first scale published to measure maximization as an individual-difference, and 3) unable to descr…