Final Sampling Bias in Haptic Judgments: How Final Touch Affects Decision-Making

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Decision Science
• Sensory Perception

Background:

• Decision-making involves evaluating multiple items sequentially.
• A known bias favors the last evaluated item, irrespective of sensory modality.
• Understanding the origin of this recency bias is crucial for decision-making models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the underlying mechanisms of the recency bias in choice.
• To differentiate between preference-based and non-preference-based factors influencing the bias.
• To explore the role of voluntary interaction in decision-making.

Main Methods:

• Three experiments utilized two-alternative forced-choice tasks with handkerchiefs.
• Tasks included smoothness discrimination and preference judgments.
• Manipulation of item evaluation frequency and voluntary touch was employed.

Main Results:

• The recency bias persisted in a smoothness discrimination task, decoupling it from preference.
• Increased touch frequency (mere exposure) enhanced the bias in preference tasks but not discrimination tasks.
• The bias was linked to the final *voluntary* touch, not predetermined interaction.

Conclusions:

• The recency bias in choice is not solely preference-driven.
• Both mere exposure and the final voluntary interaction contribute to this bias.
• Voluntary final interaction appears to have a direct coupling with judgment in decision-making.