A meta-analysis of the weight of advice in decision-making

Bibliographic Data

ID21628016
AuthorsPhoebe E Bailey (0000-0001-8960-1897, University of Technology Sydney, corresponding author), Tarren Leon (0000-0003-4976-758X, University of Technology Sydney), Natalie C Ebner (0000-0002-2705-7520, University of Florida), Ahmed A Moustafa (0000-0001-5971-273X), Ahmed Abdelrehem (0000-0003-0523-3009, Bond University), Gabrielle Weidemann (0000-0002-1469-8089, Western Sydney University)
Year2023
Volume42
Issue28
Pages24516-24541
Publication date2023-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCurrent Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1046-1310 • E-ISSN: 1936-4733
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s12144-022-03573-2
PMID39711945
OpenAlexW4292356785
LanguageEN
Citations received13
References cited94

The degree to which people take advice, and the factors that influence advice-taking, are of broad interest to laypersons, professionals, and policy-makers. This meta-analysis on 346 effect sizes from 129 independent datasets ( N = 17, 296) assessed the weight of advice in the judge-advisor system paradigm, as well as the influence of sample and task characteristics. Information about the advisor(s) that is suggestive of advice quality was the only unique predictor of the overall pooled weight of advice. Individuals adjusted estimates by 32%, 37%, and 48% in response to advisors described in ways that suggest low, neutral, or high quality advice, respectively. This indicates that the benefits of compromise and averaging may be lost if accurate advice is perceived to be low quality, or too much weight is given to inaccurate advice that is perceived to be high quality. When examining the three levels of perceived quality separately, advice-taking was greater for subjective and uncertain estimates, relative to objective estimates, when information about the advisor was neutral in terms of advice quality. Sample characteristics had no effect on advice-taking, thus providing no evidence that age, gender, or individualism influence the weight of advice. The findings contribute to current theoretical debates and provide direction for future research

Compromise · Meta-analysis · Political science · Applied Psychology · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Computer Science · Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics · Medicine · Optimism, Hope, and Well-being · Psychology · Social Psychology