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The repulsion effect in preferential choice and its relation to perceptual choice
Mikhail S Spektor1, David Kellen2, Karl Christoph Klauer3
1Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, University Road, CV4 7AL Coventry, UK; Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Ramon Trias Fargas 25, 08005 Barcelona, Spain.
Cognition
|May 21, 2022
Summary
Context effects in decision-making are common, but the attraction-repulsion continuum in dominance relationships lacks empirical links. This study reveals repulsion effects are robust and general, influenced by comparison strategies.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Decision Science
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- Rational choice theory is often violated by context effects, where decision-making relies on choice context.
- Dominance relationships can lead to attraction or repulsion effects, creating a continuum.
- Empirical evidence and theoretical explanations for the attraction-repulsion continuum are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the empirical links between attraction and repulsion effects in dominance relationships.
- To uncover the underlying information-search processes driving these context effects using eye tracking.
- To bridge the gap between perceptual and preferential choice tasks regarding dominance effects.
Main Methods:
- Employed a within-subject design with 55 participants.
- Utilized eye tracking to monitor information-search processes.
- Contrasted a perceptual task with a preferential-choice analog.
Main Results:
- Repulsion effects were observed in both perceptual and preferential choice conditions.
- The strength of the repulsion effect weakened as attribute-wise comparisons became more predominant.
- Individuals generally engaged in alternative-wise comparisons during decision-making.
Conclusions:
- Repulsion effects are a robust and general phenomenon in decision-making.
- Information-search processes, specifically comparison strategies, play a crucial role in context effects.
- Theoretical accounts of decision-making must incorporate the prevalence and mechanisms of repulsion effects.
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