Keeping one's options open
The detrimental consequences of decision reversibility
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9007003 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Lottie Bullens (University of Amsterdam, corresponding author), Frenk Van Harreveld (0000-0003-3717-2773, University of Amsterdam), Jens Förster (University of Amsterdam) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 800-805 |
| Publication date | 2011-02-26 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Experimental Social Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-1031 • E-ISSN: 1096-0465 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.jesp.2011.02.012 |
| OpenAlex | W2141785486 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 35 |
People generally prefer to have the opportunity to revise their decisions. Surprisingly however, research has shown that keeping one's options open yields lower satisfaction with the decision outcome (Gilbert & Ebert, 2002). Two studies aimed to gain more insight into the detrimental consequences of decision reversibility and the cognitive processes underlying decision reversibility. Building upon literature on goal fulfillment we hypothesized and found in a first experiment that as long as decisions are still open to change, accessibility of decision-related constructs is increased compared to neutral constructs. A second experiment demonstrated that decision reversibility undermines working memory capacity. Moreover participants experienced higher regret after having made a reversible decision, an effect that was mediated by decreased working memory capacity. The study set implies that reversible decisions yield lower working memory capacity because people continue to think about the, still relevant, choice options. In the end this might increase dissatisfaction with the decision and regret
Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Decision process · Economics · Management science · Microeconomics · Outcome (game theory · Regret · Set (abstract data type · Yield (engineering · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Computer Science · Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,15 |
| Citation span | 2013 - 2017 (5) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |