On the pursuit and misuse of useless information

Bibliographic Data

ID6206070
AuthorsAnthony Bastardi (Stanford University, corresponding author), Eldar Shafir (0000-0001-8811-4296)
Year1998
Volume75
Issue1
Pages19-32
Publication date1998-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Personality and Social Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-3514 • E-ISSN: 1939-1315
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037//0022-3514.75.1.19
PMID9686449
OpenAlexW2062087879
LanguageEN
Citations received33
References cited3

Decision makers often pursue noninstrumental information--information that appears relevant but, if simply available, would have no impact on choice. Once they pursue such information, people then use it to make their decision. Consequently, the pursuit of information that would have had no impact on choice leads people to make choices they would not otherwise have made. The pursuit of noninstrumental information is documented and its effects on ensuing decisions are explored in a variety of social, consumer, and strategic situations. The causes and implications of this pattern are discussed.

Goal pursuit · Variety (cybernetics · Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science · Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification · Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics · Privacy, Security, and Data Protection · Psychology · Psychology of Social Influence · Social Psychology