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Construction of preferences by constraint satisfaction
Dan Simon1, Daniel C Krawczyk, Keith J Holyoak
1University of Southern California, Law School, Los Angeles 90089-0071, USA. dsimon@law.usc.edu
Psychological Science
|April 23, 2004
Summary
During decision-making, people adjust their preferences to align with their chosen option. This preference shift, observed in job offer choices, occurs before the final decision and supports constraint-satisfaction models.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Decision Science
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- Understanding how preferences evolve during decision-making is crucial for explaining choice behavior.
- Previous models often assume stable preferences, but real-world choices involve dynamic shifts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether preferences change to align with a chosen option during the decision-making process.
- To determine the conditions under which these preference shifts occur and their temporal relationship to choice commitment.
Main Methods:
- Participants evaluated multiattribute alternatives (job offers) and their preferences were measured repeatedly.
- Two experiments were conducted: one with a decisive attribute and one without, to examine triggers for preference shifts.
Main Results:
- Preferences shifted to favor the chosen option and devalue the rejected option after the choice was made.
- These coherence shifts occurred both when a single attribute decisively favored an option and spontaneously.
- The observed preference shifts preceded the final commitment to a choice.
Conclusions:
- Decision-making involves dynamic preference adjustments that cohere with the emerging choice.
- Findings support constraint-satisfaction models, suggesting preferences are not fixed but adapt to choice constraints.
- Preference malleability plays a significant role in the decision-making process.