Learning From Mixed Feedback: the Biased Processing of Store Price Comparisons
ABSTRACT - People learn about the quality of their decisions by comparing their obtained outcomes to alternative outcomes. Often, feedback is mixed: the chosen option performs better than one alternative but worse than another. We examine how peoples reaction to mixed price comparisons is influenced by their motivation to learn from these comparisons. Our results indicate that people who are motivated to evaluate their choices selectively search for opportunities to improve, leading them to overemphasize unfavorable comparisons and underestimate the value of their current selection.
Citation:
Tom Meyvis and Alan Cooke (2003) ,"Learning From Mixed Feedback: the Biased Processing of Store Price Comparisons", in E - European Advances in Consumer Research Volume 6, eds. Darach Turley and Stephen Brown, Provo, UT : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 375.
People learn about the quality of their decisions by comparing their obtained outcomes to alternative outcomes. Often, feedback is mixed: the chosen option performs better than one alternative but worse than another. We examine how peoples reaction to mixed price comparisons is influenced by their motivation to learn from these comparisons. Our results indicate that people who are motivated to evaluate their choices selectively search for opportunities to improve, leading them to overemphasize unfavorable comparisons and underestimate the value of their current selection. ----------------------------------------
Authors
Tom Meyvis, New York University, USA
Alan Cooke, University of Florida, USA
Volume
E - European Advances in Consumer Research Volume 6 | 2003
Share Proceeding
Featured papers
See MoreFeatured
The Inimical Lure of Intense Means
Jordan Etkin, Duke University, USA
Szu-chi Huang, Stanford University, USA
Featured
Enhancing the Effectiveness of Narratives Among Vaccine-Skeptical Parents
Sandra Praxmarer-Carus, Universität der Bundeswehr München
Stefan Wolkenstoerfer, Universität der Bundeswehr München
Featured
The Psychology of the Sharing Economy: How the Sharing Economy Concept Promotes Consumer Altruistic Behaviors
Ping Dong, Northwestern University, USA
Claire I. Tsai, University of Toronto, Canada