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Related Experiment Video

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Online Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of Dorsomedial and Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Cognition Decision Making, and Cognitive Dissonance

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How decision reversibility affects motivation.

Lottie Bullens¹, Frenk van Harreveld¹, Jens Förster¹

¹Department of Social Psychology, University of Amsterdam.

Journal of Experimental Psychology. General

|July 3, 2013

Summary

Decision reversibility strengthens prevention motivation more than promotion motivation. This research explores how reversible decisions impact regulatory focus and motivation.

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Area of Science:

Psychology
Decision Science
Behavioral Economics

Background:

Decision reversibility is a key factor influencing motivation.
Existing research suggests decision reversibility impacts regulatory foci.
Reversible decisions may strengthen prevention motivation over promotion motivation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the impact of decision reversibility on regulatory focus and motivation.
To test whether reversible decisions enhance prevention focus relative to promotion focus.
To explore the downstream effects of decision reversibility on behavior and preferences.

Main Methods:

Five studies manipulated decision reversibility.
Measures included approach-avoidance strategies, performance (speed/accuracy), and reaction time.
The value-from-fit hypothesis was utilized to assess subjective feelings.
Product feature preferences were examined to gauge regulatory motivation.

Main Results:

Reversible decisions significantly strengthened prevention focus compared to promotion focus.
Findings were consistent across various indicators of regulatory motivation.
The value-from-fit hypothesis supported the link between regulatory focus and positive feelings.

Conclusions:

Decision reversibility differentially impacts regulatory motivation, favoring prevention.
Understanding these effects has implications for decision-making research.
The findings contribute to theories of motivation and regulatory focus.