The Multiple Roles of Attitudes in Decision Making

Abstract

(Introductory paragraphs) An examination of the literature on decision making reveals a surprising neglect of the attitude construct. Although the evaluative processes that are fundamental to choice have been a basic staple of attitudes research for decades, this enormous body of work is commonly ignored in discussions of decision making. Decision theorists infrequently make references to predictive models of attitudes and behavior such as information integration theory (e.g., Anderson, 1974) and the theory of reasoned action (e.g., Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980). More significantly, research on the basic processes through which attitudes guide behavior and decisions are rarely considered in theories of choice. Generally, attitudes are not even conceived to play a role in most accounts of how decisions are made. We suggest that the neglect of attitudes theory reflects more the narrow scope of most scientific endeavor (see Kruglanski, 2001) and the lack of familiarity with the attitudes literature more than the lack of an important role of attitudes in decision making.In this chapter, we present our conceptualization of the multiple roles of attitudes in appraisal and choice. Our framework draws from work on both the attitude-behavior relation and decision making and, thus, represents an integration of the two literatures. The chapter begins with a definition of attitudes. This is followed by a discussion of the role of attitudes in appraisal and the multiple processes through which attitudes guide choice. We suggest that attitudes influence decisions not only by guiding the evaluation of choice options, but also by guiding the assessment of goals and appraisals of the situation. However, we emphasize that attitudes do not operate alone; rather they influence choice in conjunction with routines and other decision-relevant representations. As a consequence, the effect of attitudes is often dependent on the activation of these constructs. The chapter moves on to examine the co-development and functionality of global attitudes and routines. We then discuss the conditions under which attitudes influence decisions and behavior. Finally, the chapter closes with arguments for linking research on attitudes with theory on choice.

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