Is Choice Overload Replicable?

Abstract

Consumers' motivation and satisfaction for purchase decrease, as a displayed repertoire of goods increase, a phenomenon termed as choice overload. Although many previous studies have reported failures in replicating this phenomenon, I consider that it is because cognitive load imposed on participants has not been manipulated effectively. Therefore, this study aimed at specifying a condition that reliably elicits the choice overload phenomenon by imposing various degrees of cognitive load on participants. When participants performed the ranking task for photographic images (alternatives) presented simultaneously, where they could compare them one another anytime with relatively low cognitive load, the choice overload did not occur (Experiment 1). However, when the images were presented sequentially, where participants had to compare them based on memory representations with relatively high cognitive load, the choice overload did occur (Experiment 2). These results suggest that the choice overload is actually replicable when cognitive load is sufficiently boosted.

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