Limiting predecisional distortion by prior valuation of attribute components

Abstract

Predecisional distortion is the pre-choice biasing of attribute evaluations to favor the option that is leading in a decision maker’s mind. It is proposed that predecisional distortion of product attributes results from the biased construction of attribute component valuations during the choice process. An implication of this component valuation hypothesis is that consumers who value relevant attribute components before the choice process will exhibit less predecisional distortion than those who do not. This prediction was examined in two preferential choice studies. Data from Study 1 revealed that consideration of a component list prior to choice reduced predecisional distortion to negligible levels. Study 2 examined predecisional distortion during a real choice between two bottles of wine. Results showed that participants did not distort attributes based on components they had previously valued, but did distort attributes based on components they had not previously valued. Data from both studies revealed that participants who were exposed to attribute components before the choice process were less confident in the leading option during the choice process. The paper concludes with a discussion of how prior valuation of attribute components might be used to ameliorate other choice anomalies.