This way, please: Uncovering the directional effects of attribute translations on decision making

Stéphanie Mertens · Ulf J.J. Hahnel · Tobias Brosch

23 citations0/0 files storedJudgment and Decision Making

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Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics Economic and Environmental Valuation Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies

Abstract

Abstract The translation of choice attributes into more meaningful information (e.g., from kWh to costs) is a form of choice architecture that is thought to facilitate decision making by providing decision signposts that activate personally relevant but latent objectives and guide decisions towards options that are most congruent with the activated objectives. Here, we investigated the psychological mechanisms that underlie and drive the directional effects of attribute translations on decision making. Across two choice experiments (total N = 973), we provide empirical support for our proposition that attribute translations operate via pre-decisional attention processes. Specifically, we demonstrate that attribute translations focus individuals’ attention on choice options that are most congruent with the concerns highlighted by translations, and that this attentional prioritization of alternatives predicts choice. In addition to the cognitive mechanisms underlying attribute translations, we highlight the choice architectural principles that moderate the effectiveness of translations. We show that the directional effects of attribute translations are driven by the information that translations provide rather than by contextual changes in the decision environment. In line with previous research on evaluability, we find the effectiveness of attribute translations to depend on information format, with translations conveying evaluative information having a larger impact on decision making than translations providing numerical information. The present study is among the first to investigate the decision making processes underlying a choice architectural intervention. It provides insights into the mechanisms that drive and facilitate the signpost effect and renders recommendations for the implementation of attribute translations in policy making.

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References

1979Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision under Risk 1981The Framing of Decisions and the Psychology of Choice 1955A BEHAVIORAL MODEL OF RATIONAL CHOICE 1984Choices, values, and frames.1997Models of Bounded Rationality 2010Heuristic Decision Making 1996Reasoning the fast and frugal way: Models of bounded rationality.1976Task complexity and contingent processing in decision making: An information search and protocol analysis

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