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Updated: Jun 23, 2026
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Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments
Published on: January 23, 2017
The deliberation-without-attention effect: evidence for an artifactual interpretation
G Daniel Lassiter1, Matthew J Lindberg, Claudia González-Vallejo
1Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA. lassiter@ohio.edu
Psychological Science
|May 9, 2009
Summary
Unconscious thought theory suggests complex decisions benefit from distraction. However, research shows conscious processing, not unconscious thought, drives decision-making quality.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Decision-Making Research
Background:
- Unconscious-thought theory posits that distraction aids complex decision-making.
- Recent studies suggest conscious thought leads to poorer judgments than distracted (unconscious) thought.
Purpose of the Study:
- To challenge the "deliberation-without-attention" effect proposed by unconscious-thought theory.
- To re-evaluate findings through the lens of on-line versus memory-based judgments.
Main Methods:
- Experiment 1: Manipulated participants' on-line processing goals (impression formation vs. memorization).
- Experiment 2: Replicated findings and assessed cognitive effort requirements.
Main Results:
- Reversed the original findings by changing the processing goal to memorization.
- Demonstrated that cognitive effort is necessary for both original and reversed results.
Conclusions:
- The "deliberation-without-attention" effect is better explained by on-line versus memory-based judgments.
- Conscious cognitive effort, not unconscious processing, underlies these judgment patterns.
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