Work

Differential impact of affective and cognitive attributes on preference under deliberation and distraction

Year: 2015

Type: article

Abstract: Two experiments were designed to test the hypothesis that affective information looms relatively larger than cognitive information when individuals are distracted for a period of time compared to when they engage in deliberative thinking. In two studies, participants were presented with information about 4 decision alternatives: An affective alternative that scored high on affective attributes but low on cognitive attributes, a cognitive alternative with the opposite trade-off, and two fillers. They were then asked to indicate their attitudes toward each of four decision alternatives either immediately, after a period of deliberation, or after a period of distraction. The results of both experiments demonstrated that participants significantly preferred the affective alternative to the cognitive alternative after distraction, but not after deliberation. The implications for understanding when and how unconscious thought may lead to better decisions are being discussed.

Source: Frontiers in Psychology

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00549

Authors: Zuo-Jun Wang, Kai-Qin Chan, Jiao-Jiao Chen, Ai Chen, Fei Wang

Institutions: Ningbo University, Radboud University Nijmegen, Xiamen University

Language: English

Topic: Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics

Subfield: General Decision Sciences

Field: Decision Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,801

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Radboud Universiteit, Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province